Oh, you think you’re patient? Try starting a winery. Just when you’re amped up to make a massive life change, ready to start the next chapter of your life, when you have all this momentum to do things, the only thing you can do is wait. From the day I committed my life’s savings to starting Peony Lane to the day I made my first sale was two years. That frustratingly long stretch of time was a gift I didn’t know I needed. Before wine, I’d bounced between side projects where I lost steam quickly. I knew I wanted to start a business, and I knew I needed something that forced me to commit. I needed a forcing function that would make me step up into a role I knew I was capable of, but didn't have a reason to take on. What I didn’t understand was how many sleepless nights, panic attacks, and moments of self-doubt came with it. Facing a real chance of failure head-on forced me to care. It pushed me past my limits and made me confront who I really was. That person wasn’t good enough, but could be. Those two years of waiting became the foundation for everything that came next. I not only produced good wine on my first try, but also built the house I live in today and discovered Bitcoin. I get asked how Bitcoin changed me. It didn’t. I changed me, and that change led me to Bitcoin. I never really want to go through another time like that again, but I’m glad I did. If another one comes, I know I can handle it. That stretch from 2019 to 2021 was the most important time of my life. It’s when I decided to step up instead of settle. Proud of myself for that.

The wine world loves to brag. I hear Californians flex about farming at 2000 feet in their "High Elevation" vineyards. Meanwhile, in Argentina’s Andes, some guys are growing grapes at over 10,000 feet. These guys don't even care to look down at the rest of us.🧵 The Calchaquí Valleys sit on the Altiplano in northern Argentina. A dry, rugged plateau surrounded by some of the tallest mountains in the Andes. Vineyards like Bodega Colomé’s Altura Máxima are planted at 10,500 feet, with 20,000-foot peaks towering above them. Farming at this elevation is a different game. In this high desert environment, all of the water comes from snowmelt, moved through simple gravity-fed ditches carved into the rock and Tractors struggle to run in the thin air so most of the work is done by hand. How can grapes even grow at this altitude? - They’re closer to the equator, so the sun is stronger and more consistent. - The dry air from the Andes keeps disease pressure low. These brutal conditions do a few things to the grapes: - Thicker skins - Smaller berries - Higher natural acid - Slow sugar development - Deeper color and structure The vines get battered all season long and that can be a good thing. Most every grape varieties can't take it. Malbec survives because it handles UV, drought, and cold nights without breaking down. Torrontés survives because it ripens fast and keeps its aromatics even under a punishing sun. But how different do they taste from their neighboring, low elevation counterparts? Malbec from these heights is darker, fresher, and tighter than anything you’ll find in the lowlands. Torrontés turns sharp, floral, and piercing. It is electric compared to a coastal white. Of course, vineyards this high are small by nature. Yields are low. Most of the wine stays local. But if you want to hunt some down, look for bottles from Bodega Colomé or Bodega Tacuil. I grow Pinot Noir at 6000 feet, in the highest wine region in North America. Sometimes I think what I’m doing is crazy. But these guys put me to shame. They’re farming grapes at elevations that match the highest mountains around me. I really need to get my hands on a bottle from here to compare. Cheers🍷

Winemaking is v dangerous

Wine here Get your wine here! Low Intervention, High Elevation, TASTY wine here!

There are two questions that matter in wine 1) Does it taste good? 2) How do you feel after drinking?