Between the soil and the stars
The idea behind Cosmic Vines started, obviously, with wine:
Wine is at the intersection of chemistry, art, technology, and culture. It is a product that transforms throughout the course of its life, and embodies a multitude of various forms. Wine – is a little like us. Complex and beautiful. Logical and whimsical. Instead of following the industry’s current narrative that forces people to say "this or that," I want to say it all. Whether you’re the type of person to geek out over the fancy jargon, or prefer to keep it simple, there is room for both (and both can be in the same room, at the same table, sharing the same glass of wine).
But, what I really wanted was a space for creativity and curiosity.
When I was growing up, my family and I would always visit my grandparents in Maine. My grandparents lived in a large cabin nestled among the trees, sandwiched between a lake and a ski mountain. The quintessential northeastern vacation home. Of all the random, sporadic, vivid memories I keep from that place, I can remember a night walking out to the lake with my dad and siblings. I can feel the soft pine needle-strewn dirt abruptly switch to groaning wood, signaling the end of our path from the house. When we made our way to the end of the dock, we all looked up. When I think of stargazing, I think of this exact moment. I can feel my neck craning all the way back, and I picture the image of that star-speckled sky: bright, clear, and never-ending. In that moment, I felt the beginning of my consciousness expanding, realizing for the first time that there is more to life – the universe – than my beautiful childhood existence of school and family vacations. I’m not a child anymore, but just a mere human floating on a rock in space. How grand. This was also when I realized the dichotomy of such an idea. The idea of space can either inspire awe or unease. The idea of space can inspire awe and unease. There’s beauty in the twinkling stars, a sense of adventure in the unknown, and a simultaneous discomfort in thinking how insignificant life is when the universe is infinite. And there’s power in embracing all these feelings and thoughts.
The existence of dualities is very intriguing to me. You can be both happy and sad. You can be both anxious and excited. You can be both introverted and extroverted. This is not a new concept, but growing up and figuring out who you are can sometimes mean putting yourself in a box or labeling yourself to find that specific community. There is nothing wrong with that, but I believe who you are is an amalgamation of all the boxes and labels. You can be both. You can be all.
I created Cosmic Vines to serve as a platform that embraces the wonderfully confusing and complex world of wine. A place that will nurture the exploration of different, intersecting beliefs as it relates to the philosophies of wine, personhood, and the universe.
