Oh, and we have a vineyard...Lunigiana, Italy

I've been known to bury the lede as they say...when we bought La Fortezza, I was so enamored with the house/fortress that I forgot about the property itself. So, here it is: we have a vineyard. It's 5 acres on the upper edge of the property. Obviously Frank and I know nothing about making wine. Hell, Frank does not ever drink the stuff (he's a beer guy).The vineyard was in bad shape about 5 years ago. The brothers that owned the property were approached by a local winemaker, Manolo (I know perfect name, right?). He was in the process of setting up his wine business. He's a former teacher, and he and his family wanted to launch their own label. It's not uncommon here to work many smaller vineyards to produce a label, and that is exactly how he works. You need a ton of acres to produce wine, so working 10 smaller vineyards in the region makes perfect sense. It's a win win for us, too because we have no interest in working the land, not to mention we don't have a stitch of knowledge. It is the perfect accidental hobby. No sweat...just vino delivered once a month. He pays rent in wine, and we will take it. For now, it's the perfect arrangement. We feel very lucky. Manolo was an unknown perk.Manolo has vineyards all around the area. He and his family cultivate, rent vineyards, and make both red and white wines, although this year he will put up a batch of Rose just for the Joseph label. It's a win win because he came with the house as part of the deal. Now I am busting at the seams with wine. Some of you have asked if you can purchase our wine. Since this is something new for us, right now it's our own private stock. However who knows?! Down the road, we may become a wine brand, but for now our workshop attendees and guests will enjoy the fruits of the land at every meal. So if you want to partake, you may just need to join us here for a workshop or retreat in the fall or later next year.In the meantime our son Levi, a recent business school graduate, has a keen interest in developing our wine label, so who knows? It may become the new family business. It's all about generations in Italy after all...I would like to thank my dear friend Penny for the cool label design. We love it. xxWe have a vineyard! I am still pinching myself... cin cin xx