Last week my mom and I were supposed to meet up in California for our annual girls’ trip. Our itinerary involved losing ourselves in the Redwood Forest, sipping wine from various Napa vineyards, and taking “the 1” down the coastline to Big Sur and Monterey. We planned this vacation getaway months ago during the depths of winter and had looked forward to it with eager anticipation, fervently counting down the days until we could spend time together swapping stories while exploring the west coast.
Needless to say, that trip didn’t happen for several reasons[1], and while we were certainly bummed by the unexpected change of plans, we were determined to find creative ways to spend time together and celebrate that which we could still control.
Therefore, without the flurry of excitement that inherently comes with booking air travel or the fanfare involved in scripting out a fully-packed itinerary, we decided Mom would drive north so we could spend a week together exploring Minnesota. Afterall, we had both already taken the entire week off, and we hadn’t seen each other in months. Who were we to let a couple minor road bumps—okay, a couple major road bumps—stop us? We made up our minds right then and there: We weren’t going to let anything get in the way of girls’ week.
Chatting through various ways we wanted to spend our week, we decided on a fun, full list of diverse activities, all of which would maximize both our exposure to the outdoors and our precious ability to spend time together. We explored the Twin Cities, got out on the lake, and even embarked on a few day trips[2]. However, one of my favorite activities required a bit of creative mind bending and perspective shifting on our part: In an attempt to recreate some semblance of our original California itinerary, we visited a couple local wineries and pretended that—despite being confined to the familiarity of the Midwest—we were sipping fine wine and enjoying sweeping views of Napa Valley.
Our vino excursion began with Sovereign Estates, a family-owned and managed vineyard and winery located on the north shore of Lake Waconia. Sovereign Estates boasts an impressive 30+ picturesque acres and is open year-round for wine sales, tastings, bistro dining, live music, and an exciting roster of special events. The vineyards host an impressive combination of grapes, including Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Itasca, Marquette, and La Crescent. The vineyard was originally planted in stages, with Marquette being the first grapes in the ground in 2007, followed shortly by La Crescent and Frontenac Blanc. The vineyard’s location is key for optimal grape growth, as the south-facing slopes provide maximum sun exposure. Additionally, the lake helps protect against frost in the late spring and early fall, allowing the vines to grow strong and healthy year-round. And while these are certainly important qualities for excellent wine-making, the stunning views of Lake Waconia are perhaps the estates’ greatest feature.
Mom and I surveyed the wine list, selected a flight, and ordered some food to nibble on. Although the patio is quaint and reminiscent of a scenic piazza in Italy, we silently agreed to bypass the crowds and relocate a pair of unoccupied Adirondack chairs so we could sit closer to the grapes. We set up our outpost—repurposing a nearby bench as a makeshift table—and settled in for a gloriously sunny afternoon in the vineyard.
We casually chatted about all sorts of topics, circling back frequently to a fictitious narrative that we were the estate owners enjoying the literal fruits of our lands. We would fluctuate between quietly heckling other visitors (labeling those that came near us as “intruders”[3]) and vibrantly describing our nearby house, which sounded an awful lot like Dennis Quaid and Lindsay Lohan’s Napa home in Disney’s The Parent Trap. All in all, we spent a slow, luxuriously languid afternoon amidst the grapes. The only element that satiated our reluctance to leave was the promise of more wine at the next stop on our list.
Less than ten minutes down the road from Sovereign Estates, Schram Vineyards Winery & Brewery offers a very different, yet comparably charming take on Minnesota wine. A lifelong dream of married owners Ashley and Aaron Schram, the vineyard first opened in 2013, and a year later it became the first singly owned and operated winery & brewery in Minnesota. Schram Vineyards is a full-production working farm winery and tasting room dedicated to creating memorable moments with award-winning beverages. As a truly local business, all wines and beers are made on site, and the Schram family lives on the grounds and interacts with customers daily.
Again, Mom and I ordered a flight, secured a secluded set of Adirondack chairs, and settled in for several hours of light conversation, casual people watching, and crisp, aromatic wines. We enjoyed the rustic ambiance, verdant vines, and relaxing water vista while wistfully speculating what could have transpired in California and yet fully appreciating all the good that currently was in that present moment.
Was our local experience the same as touring charming vineyards and sipping wine in Napa? No. But did we still get to sample full-bodied varieties, enjoy breathtaking views, and savor one another’s company? You betcha. While the scenery may have looked different, the only thing we really had to change was our perspective. Yes, it might not have been what we had initially anticipated, but our time visiting local vineyards still allowed us to slow down, relax, and spend some much-needed mother-daughter quality time together.
There has long been a great debate about optimism, pessimism, and the power of perspective. Some choose to view life as a glass half full, seeing the world as brimming with opportunity and treating every second an invitation to seize the day. Others choose to view life as a glass half empty, seeing only the failures and shortcomings of their environment and fixating on dwindling possibility rather than abundance of it. I subscribe to neither angle and would instead like to propose something crazy: Let’s choose to see life as a full glass of wine.
Regardless of circumstance, a good glass of wine is a good glass of wine, and it improves exponentially when paired with great company and conversation. Notably, it’s not the glass of wine itself that changes per context, but rather our perspective of how we choose to view it. Sometimes life requires us to see shades of “hot magenta” where we might have expected to see Bordeaux red or vineyard green. In other words, sometimes life requires us to shirk convention and adapt our expectations so we can better appreciate all that we do have instead of fixating on what we lack. Importantly, making this adjustment and broadening our perspectives so we can view multiple colors and possibilities at once isn’t a case of optimism or pessimism, but rather a very healthy dose of realism, adaptability, and growth. For viewing the world this way allows us to perceive things not as we wish they were but how they truly are, and embracing a plurality of different “colors” ultimately allows us to see more vividly, experience more widely, and live more deeply.
So, as you consider your current outlook and reflect on any potential changes you may want to make, consider scrapping the “glass half full” or “glass half empty” idea entirely. Instead, elect to see the glass of wine—life— for what it truly, fully is: An unprecedented opportunity to indulge in a deliciously beautiful adventure.
[1] See: Global pandemic. Oh, and the fact that California is currently up in flames. Put it on my tab, 2020. Put it on my tab.
[2] Stay tuned: I plan to feature other activities as posts in the coming weeks!
[3] What are all these strangers doing on our property, anyway?
Comments are closed.