Bottled Poetry

February brings forth dreams of spring wildflowers, days filled with sunshine and maybe a few clouds that can be shaped by our imaginations. After winter comes a desire to get outside, shake off a few layers and lighten up. And love stories and heart-dotted decor surround us as Valentine's Day approaches, "dearest gentle readers."

I find myself preparing for the changing of the season, ready to relish its beauty. During these transition days, when nights are still long, I start letting ideas and hopes for the year and years to come occupy my mind. I've been turning to poetry for comfort and inspiration. And, to wine.

Watching the sunset from my back deck in the Texas Hill Country with my dog and a glass of Texas red wine. Photo by Stacey Kaleh.

"Wine is bottled poetry," said author and poet Robert Louis Stevenson.

I've always loved that quote. I think it's because I see wine as art, similar to a beautifully crafted poem. Like a great poem, wine holds depth, symbolism, and story. It is at once fleeting and timeless. A great poem can be read and re-read and be interpreted differently, each time holding a distinct significance based on the context and time in a person's life. A great bottle of wine will never be the same as it is today — it's a living, breathing, evolving thing — like we are. It will be enjoyed differently based on the context and the reader / drinker / interpreter and the time in our lives where it finds us.

Behind both are artists who express their passion and vision through the art form and relationship with their materials (words, grapes). It's a wondrous kind of human connection we can embrace in any season, but it seems especially compelling to lock into that connection during times of transition.

Wine and poetry — they change and adapt with us. But they always convey an uncharted authenticity, a kernel of truth steadfast in an always moving world. And they transport inspiration from the writer and maker to us.

For the love of poetry and wine, cheers!

Folktale Wine's label for Tyger Tyger is inspired by the William Blake poem, "The Tyger." A beautiful connection between wine and poetry. Photo by Stacey Kaleh.