The old guard

Winemaking in this part of the world seems to be a family affair - with a few notable (and rich) exceptions. Plots are passed on from generation to generation, split amongst children and built up again by some, worked on by husband and wife under the watchful eye of elders, taken over by a younger generation who now needs degrees and certifications to manage the ancestral land.

It's hard work all through the year: vines are live, require attention constantly and you can't just pick up and go. It's a serious business that provides for entire families. And it's a community of like-minded people who know each other and come together often - by necessity and by choice. It's a gregarious lot in that no nonsense way that those who work the land seem to have.

In the past three weeks, I've bounced around the Alsace region from North to South, stopping in to chat (and photograph) various winemakers, wherever I could find them: in the vineyards, under rain or sun, in caves vinicoles, in bottling and packaging plants, or together around some festive occasion. Almost universally, I've found them likable and passionate about their craft; they've not chosen the easiest path, but they seem to embrace it.

I hope I can make the time to return in the fall and catch up with them as they harvest the fruit of their labor. As I was told: "you won't understand this business until you've spent 8 hours a day, bent over on a steep hillside, picking grapes." I look forward to it :)