Thursday, July 28, 2011

Stay Motivated

It's hard to stay motivated when it can appear that what you are doing is simply an excerise in futility. But it is the satisfactoin that you get from completing a project that is the ultimate reward. It's takes focus to stay to course when the temptation to play presents itself.
So back to work....

 
A Recipe for Happiness –Marsala-Marsala-Marsala

Its’ all in the grapes; so it has been said. Catarratto, grillo and Inzolia are the three primary grapes that make up Marsala wine. These grapes blended together create a port like wine referred to as Marsala wine.

Marsala is made in the “solera” tradition; meaning a melding of years. First a keg is filled with wine from the current vintage of grapes. Later vintage wines with similar taste are placed in kegs above the current keg. When liquid is drawn from the bottom of the oldest keg, it is refreshed with wine from the next keg and so on. The taste remains the same with every bottle of wine (potentially) the same as the first.

Marsala is a city in the west section of Sicily, the island near the foot end of Italy. In 1798 the Sicilians managed to substitute their own wines in place of the standard rum in an English naval shipment. In those seafaring days, something had to be done to wine to allow it to last the long ocean journeys.  Brandy was added to allow the wine to last longer, and to be more resistant to temperature changes. These were called "fortified wines".
Once the British tasted Marsala wine the demand grew. In the United States during prohibition Marsala wine was bottled to look like medicine. This made it less risky to get wine. Although not as popular now for drinking, Marsala wine is still used in cooking.

Through a melding of the years ( solera), blending together three bold grapes and fortifying the wine; marsala wine had a great shelf life, gave a better kick, was readily available and tasted great. That’s enough to make  anyone happy! What else could we want but to meld the years of our life into a blended taste of experience fortified with wisdom?

Sicily is a vast wealth of culture influences by the Arabs, the Europeans, the Greeks and the Romans. Many legends abound. One is worth remembering. Zeus had a son named Dionysus the God of fertility, joy and well being. Dionysus left the kingdom and headed for Sicily with the root of a grape vine. To carry the vine safely he first planted it in the bone of a bird, then the bone of a lion and finally the bone of a donkey. The vine flourished and so did the following saying; "A good glass of wine makes you light as a bird, another drink and you are courageous as a lion, but when you exaggerate with wine, you end up an ass!."

Sharing with joy and well being a glass or two of a good wine with an appreciation for the culture, nature and history of the things we consume makes tipping a glass or two a happy moment. Smile, be happy and enjoy!


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