Silver Linings
Hello all, for those of you who haven't met me, I am Tyler and I have been a member of the team at Caliza since August of 2017. I have been working full time here since January of 2019, and you may have run into me in the tasting room or at one of our events over the last couple of years. You also may have run into me at Il Cortile, which up until the middle of March, was my second job.
When crisis strikes, no amount of worrying will make our problems wash away. The world continues to spin, indifferently. COVID-19 has come in like a hard frost and taken with it all sense of stability and certainty that we once shared. Out of necessity, it has been my crusade to look at the silver linings in this whole situation. In my search, I have found a few that I would like to share with you.
As inviting as it sounds to continue working two jobs forever, it is my intention, rather, to build a career solely out of winemaking. This is why I am living on the Central Coast. One area in which COVID-19 has benefitted me is the luxury of having only one job, and lucky for me, it is the one that entertains my future. There is a lot of well documented evidence (and overall common sense) that dictates when you spread yourself too thin, you are not as effective in any given area. Just like a vine that is pumping out too many clusters of flavorless fruit, people cannot effectively handle too many things at once. I have been this vine, recently, and whomever is tending to the universal vineyard has come and snipped off my extra clusters, thinned my extra shoots. The fruit of my labor is now that dark, concentrated Willow Creek delight. In the past month, I have been able to better focus on my work at Caliza, including the mind-numbing tast of bottling and waxing most of the 2018 vintage wines. Regardless of the task, I have enjoyed my work thoroughly. I have taken my boots off at home instead of in my car. I have cooked many meals. I am growing tomatoes at home.
As mentioned before, no matter what happens to the human condition in the coming months, our ecosystem will continue to operate as an independent entity. In Nature, we can find solace. As farmers first, our team is constantly looking to Mother Nature for provisions. Another positive in our current climate is that we have started the growing season in good stride. Right now, Paso Robles is abound with Spring Beauty. I am writing this from our tasting room and there is a wash of green morning light pouring in through the doors. Miracle rains in March (and the first half of April) left us with some much needed moisture and postponed what likely would have been an early budbreak following the warm start to 2020. Despite crisis, we finished pruning and mowing throughout the estate. Also, after many frigid Fall and Winter mornings, we haven't seen any worrisome sub-freezing temperatures since budbreak. Although you never know how the season will unfold, as of now, it looks sublime.
It is an old cliche that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. It has certainly felt like that here at Caliza. In the last month and a half, our small team has rallied to think of new and innovating ways to keep the ball rolling. My last bit of optimism surrounding COVID-19 is that humanity always pulls through. For all of you out there reading this, above all, stay safe. When the chaos of crisis dissipates, rest assured we will once again meet face to face and raise a glass!
