Guest Post - Character Penny Lively

The second book in the Cypress Cove Mystery series, Ripe for Murder, is out and my review will be posted shortly.  I reviewed the first book in the series, One Foot in the Grape (click here), and we were tickled to have the main character guest post for us (click here.)  Today we have some thoughts on the wondrous magic of making wine from the main character, Penny Lively.

The Angels Share

Hi, I’m Penny Lively, owner of Joyeux Winery, along the central California coast. As a winery owner, I’m often asked why we still use wooden barrels to age and store wine. Visitors to Joyeux winery see that we use both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. Steel tanks seem easier to use, and they are. A lot of fresh, fruity white wines do better in stainless steel. The important difference is the white wines aren’t for aging. Usually the sooner you drink them, the better they are. The steel keeps the fruity flavors fresh and crisp. Red wines, though, are a different matter. Most red wines improve with age, especially in oak barrels, but it took a while to figure this out.

Letting crushed grapes sit around in wooden pails until it turned into something, well, a little tastier, has been going on for more than 5,000 years. The first wine drinkers weren’t overly picky, and it didn’t take a lot of flavor to keep the average wine drinker happy. Let’s be honest; flavor wasn’t the primary concern.

This went on for quite some time. Until the Iron Age, to be exact, when the pails were enclosed and barrels came into use. When this happened everything changed for winemakers. At first it was simply convenient to store the wine in barrels. It certainly made shipping easier. They didn’t break like the clay containers used before, and the barrels could be easily rolled. Barrels also allowed wine makers to make more wine at once, leaving it sitting in the barrels until it was needed.

The consumer of this wine soon discovered a greater benefit. It didn’t take long to realize something wonderful was happening. This wine was different. This wine tasted good. Softer. Flavors like vanilla and tea. Caramelized sugar. The wine was vastly improved, and all by happy accident. These added flavors and depth to the wine are why wooden barrels are still used, even in a time when synthetic materials and stainless steel are available and would be easier. Barrel making itself has become an art form. The barrel size or the ways they are made can influence the flavor of the wine. The type of oak, and if it’s sawn or hand-split. Is it heated over a fire or is boiling water used to bend the staves? New Oak for intensity or old oak for elegance?

Another reason wooden barrels work so well is that they allow for oxidation. They are porous. The very gradual oxidation increases the complex flavor and fragrances in the wine. The barrels breathe. In some cases ten to fifteen percent of the wine evaporates while it is in the barrels and before it’s bottled. That’s where the term “Angels Share” comes in. It takes a bit of luck, magic, and yes, a little help from the heavens to make a wonderful wine. If the angels want to have a taste, it’s fine with me. We can use all the help we can get.

Cheers,

Penny Lively

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THANK You Miss Lively for stopping by and sharing with us.  I love the idea of an "Angel's Share".

And if anybody would like to find out a little more about wine, check out this book - the Little Wine Guide (click here).  This is a quick start guide for the "wine timid".

Guest Post - Character Penny Lively

Today we have a guest post from Penny Lively, the main character of the new Cypress Cove mystery series written by Carlene O'Neil.  I reviewed the debut book in the series, One Foot in the Grape (click here).  This is the first Character guest post we have had, so I hope everyone enjoys Penny's visit.

Carlene O'Neil

Getting to Know Penny Lively
Hi, I’m Penny Lively, owner of Joyeux Winery. Joyeux is a smaller winery in comparison to several of our neighbors, but enjoys a great reputation. As it happens, I’ve also managed to gain a reputation for my knack for finding bodies. I don’t know if knack is the right word…Connor would call it a gift, but the statement would be said under his breath and likely dripping with sarcasm. Connor’s my winery manager. My manager and nothing more. Yup, nothing more. He’s the best manager on the central California coast and I’m lucky to have him in that capacity, which is why I’ve stifled any urges I might have for him in any other capacity…

Where was I? Right. So after a long career as an investigative photojournalist, I came home to the winery I’d inherited. I’d been worried small town life would be too slow. Instead, I’ve been back less than a year and so far I’ve managed to find more bodies than I did in an entire career investigating situations where one might reasonably expect to find bodies. The local police can’t decide what to do with me, but it’s not like I’m asking for this. Although, I have to admit, once I’m involved I’m not about to walk away. Either the police manage to get it wrong, or someone I care about is a suspect and asks for my help. The first time it happened, my neighbor, Antonia Martinelli, thought someone was sabotaging her winery. She didn’t want to go to the police because she thought one of her children might be involved. Simple, right? Nobody mentioned murder. They never really do.

Between running the winery and running just ahead of

whatever mess I’m no doubt in, I stay pretty busy. Connor does most of the heavy lifting when it comes to the winery, so I have free time on my hands. I spend most of it with my camera, a holdover from my last profession. My focus is on the landscape now, and this is a part of the country where it’s easy to find inspiration. The winery is beautiful, vineyards stretched across rolling hills in tones of bronze and umber, and just a short drive from Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach and the fabulous town of Cypress Cove.

That’s another thing; murder just shouldn’t happen somewhere so beautiful. The mean streets of Los Angeles? Sure. The underbelly of Chicago? Who’s surprised? Nobody. Here, when you find a body set against such beauty, it seems so much more shocking, vicious, and wrong. There’s a Latin saying, “It is well to remember that there are five reasons for drinking: the arrival of a friend; one's present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason.” After what I’ve just been through I would include finding a body in your neighbor’s crusher. Just saying. 


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Thank you Penny...and Carlene!