Cameron Winery -- sustainably farmed, non-irrigated, Oregon pinot noir and chardonnay

Nothing defines the cycle of the seasons better than grapes. By watching my staff prune in the bitter cold of winter, cultivate in the rain and mud of Spring and spray chemicals in the heat and dust of summer, I derive immense pleasure from my vineyard.

Perhaps the best part of owning a vineyard comes in the Fall when I can invite my friends to share in the bounty of the harvest. This is the vineyard’s most extraordinary moment, the time when the cycles of life and death curve sends its seasonal information bravely into the future packaged in a bottle of wine. Accepting the invitation means dressing in the proper attire for the occasion, however. This year, “French Country Peasant” is the absolute rage at Martha’s Vineyard. A handwoven basket…available at import stores…and a pair of good quality secateurs complete the raiment.

When the harvest commences, the guests fall under the spell of the romantic grape, Lively chatter fills the air. After a morning’s picking, I treat my guests to a simple peasant dish to take the edge off ravenous appetites. A light and elegant white wine, such as 1995 Cameron Chardonnay, adds zest to the repast without turning the whole affair into a Bacchanalian orgy. As the afternoon folds over into dusk, the guests, now sated on raw grapes, gather around the banquet table for a leisurely dinner.