Last month Terroir Taking introduced Gisele in My Life as a Grape. She is a lovely grape who went from her peaceful vineyard life into the cellar. This month she continues to share her experience of the mysterious journey from grape to wine.  

There were no more hands. There were no more clusters. We were loose grapes now, free to dance and sing, part of a collective that seemed like a pretty good party. But in the back of my mind I was a bit anxious about how we would survive without the stems that had nurtured us with so much love throughout our lives.

The legend amongst the vines spoke of the journey that all good grapes take to arrive at the next life. I wondered if I would know myself when I got there. My grapeness had defined me for so long but I, Gisele, selected for my beauty and poise, was changing. My stem was gone; my skin was broken. But I had lived such a good life, in rhythm with nature, that I had to trust that Mother Nature had given me the balance I needed to survive this metaphysical transformation. And in that moment I asked myself, “Am I transcending to heaven now?” Maybe, but I had to go through a little time in purgatory first.

“Hey, anyone out there? It is getting really hot in here!” Finally someone came, I felt pressure, something released and phew, a little air! I could breathe again! 

Gisele was fermenting. Her grapeness was commingling with that of the other grapes, who were experiencing the same genetic mutation she was, becoming part of some greater whole, and there was something exciting about it. Her existence was no longer her story alone. Together they had become wine. The collective consciousness of their memories of life in the vineyard had merged into one vivid story: vintage 2015.

View the Collective Consciousness video. See other Terroir Talking videos on Vimeo.