Home in the Country equals Wine Country
In the old country, as we used to call Europe, young rural folk would leave their homes to work in the cities. Sometimes couples would leave their young children behind in the care of grandparents, in order to earn enough money to support their extended families, and create a better future for the next generation.
As a side note; today in China that scenario is very common among the thousands of factory workers who flood the industrial cities where the world’s TV’s and DVD players are made.
Over time these European families established homes in the cities, traditions, friends, but they never forgot those country roots. For many, their first major luxury is a small country place to escape to, returning to their origins to restore their souls.
For many others that soul nourishment is tied to body nourishment in their twice annual pilgrimage to the country, their car filled with jugs, to their favorite wine maker. Through all of the wine making areas of Europe this tradition is alive in well.
For people coming to wine country there is an emotional equation at work; food comes from the country, wine is food, food is love, wine country is where love is, wine country is romantic. Is it any surprise that wine tourism is such a fast growing area?
People come to wine country to restore their souls, refresh their minds, and sooth their nerves. Of course they also come to feed their bodies, which is why we spend so much time helping our client’s ship wine. Over a recent two week period we sent over $80,000 worth of wine on its way home for our friends. And the season is just beginning!
When our friends return home, every time they open one of those bottles, they will be reminded of wine country, in this case, of Napa and Sonoma, of their vacation, of their romance, of the restorative quality of time away in the natural world. And when they drink that wine it will restore their bodies and their souls.
Ralph & Lahni de Amicis are authors of the Amicis Winery Guides, and owners of Amicis Tours. They are authors of over twenty books on health, design, business and travel. Their book ‘Guidelines for the Hospitality Professional’ teaches the unique art of creating great wine tours. Their articles and products can be found on the sites http://www.amicistours.com and http://www.spaceandtime.com
