“Life is a rollercoaster.” The expression never really resonated with me. Sure, life goes up and down, but the saying implies you are stuck on a ride and can’t get off. A rollercoaster also goes only one way: downhill, and at high speeds.
Life is a wave. For me that seems to capture it all. As a lifelong surfer, I can easily relate. And it seems far more fitting; life has its ups and downs, and sometimes the seas are turbulent, other times calm.
The wine industry is between swells at the moment. So how, as a winegrower and winemaker, do I navigate these waters?
“In every crisis there is opportunity.”
The ancient Chinese proverb keeps popping into my head. Along the same train of thought, a wave can be ridden, its energy harnessed. The experience is always wild and exhilarating. You can surf down the face of a breaking wave, even disappearing inside it, and come out at the end unscathed – that is, if you ride it properly.
Our goal at Lumen is to continue to find ways to educate our fans (and potential customers) about why our wines are a more conscious choice – both for your body and the planet. We do that by farming with respect to the earth and the natural systems around us, and by making wines that are pure and free of additives. We also do that with full transparency, something which the liquor industry is still sorely lacking.
Every day that I walk the vineyards, I see evidence of our positive impact. Birds nest in the vine rows, snakes slither, toads hop, and insects abound. Our vineyards are wildly alive. When I come in at the end of the day (usually exhausted and covered in dirt), I pour myself a glass of Lumen wine. The flavors are also wildly alive, and I can trust that what is in my glass is pure and natural. My daily ritual just furthers my desire to keep doing what we are doing: ride the wave until we reach the golden shore. Want to join the daily ritual? Book a tour and I will take you along for the ride, to the wild side.
A huge thanks to you for sticking with us. Life is a wave, let’s ride it together.
– Will Henry
DISCLAIMER: Life is a Wave was coined by the non-profit conservation organization that I once ran, Save The Waves Coalition. Intellectual credit goes to them.
