My precious brother-in-law makes wine at home. He learned his craft prior to retirement and now makes batches for himself and my sister, and teaches friends his secrets.
He allowed me to watch and photograph his latest endeavor – a German white called peas porter. Making wine takes time, patience, knowledge and love. My brother in law does it with careful attention and passion.
The passion for fine wine is like the passion for a fine life. Maybe it’s acquired. You can abstain, you can choose a cheap box wine, or you can hold out for the best. The best takes time and investment.
This batch had been sitting in a large bucket for a while. Yeast had it’s time to do the primary fermentation. It didn’t look pretty and it smelled like a nasty baby’s diaper. But my brother in law saw its potential.
This product had to be transferred into a clear glass bottle, a wine carboy, for the next stage of waiting. This process is called racking the wine.
He lovingly set up the tube to transfer the mixture. After about 20 minutes, the remains of the yeast and other particulates remain in the bucket. These will be disposed of. An airlock cap is placed on the glass bottle. Now it will sit again for several weeks, then go through more processes. It will be many months before this wine is fit to drink.
As I watched him practice his craft, I couldn’t help but compare it to making a fine life.
We are each created for a purpose, although it may feel like we are simply dumped into a bucket at times. Life added fermenters, chemicals and more and then we sit. At some point, that bucket has served its purpose and begins to feel confining. It is time for a new journey.
Maybe we are then siphoned into a new container. It is the beginning of something new. Where are we going? Will we like it there? With an initial push and priming, life flows into a new place.
We arrive into a place where we can see clearer, but we are not fine wine yet. There is more time to wait, to mature.
Because I know the Lord is the skilled winemaker in my own life, in due time, what emerges will be lovely and will bring delight – to Him and to any I encounter.
I can only pray that when my own process is done, I will bring a pleasing aroma, leave a satisfying taste and impart a warm feeling (and maybe a bit of merriment?) into the lives of others.
