A Passion for Great Wine

You only live twice.

– James Bond
James Bond said you only live twice. As a winemaker, I say when you live your passions, you live a life worth remembering.

And what better way to live than making wine?  Yes, the work is hard, and there’s not much sleep.  When others are on vacation, we’re harvesting.  We work on the weekends, when other’s are playing.  When everyone’s in the pool in the summer, we’re working on our farmers’ tans.  When others are at their dinner tables, drinking a great glass of wine, we’re on our knees, praying that God stops the rain.

What keeps us going?  Passion.  Passion for a drink that has been our companion for thousands of years.  Passion for the mystery of turning grapes into wine.  Passion for the comfort, joy and sheer ecstasy of the greatest glass of something on earth.  No other job comes close.  Winemaking becomes part of you.  Your hands get bent; your body gives out.  You might lose everything.  The word “gambler” was already taken, so they came up with “winemaker”.  And you would do it all over again…twice.

At the end of the day, our passion for winemaking is rewarded when we see the happiness that our hard work brings to so many.  That’s truly a life worth remembering.

Chris Hornbaker, Winemaker, Eden Hill Vineyard