The Italian Sister (The Wine Lover's Daughter, Book 1)

by Christa Polkinhorn

  Sofia laughed. “Bad taste or not, it’s true.”

  Over at Sofia’s house, they found Julietta, stuffing her nightgown and a few toiletries into her bag. She looked up as they entered, tears running down her face. “Mi dispiace,” she muttered and grabbed a Kleenex from the box.

  “What’s the matter, Julietta?” Sofia asked stunned, getting ready to hug her.

  “Sorry,” she said again, looking at Emma. She turned around, blew her nose and faced them again. “It is nothing.”

  “What do you mean, it is nothing?” Sofia said. “You’re crying your eyes out and claim it’s nothing?”

  Julietta shook her head. “I am just having a bad moment,” she said, then smiled at Emma through her tears. “Hello, I am sorry.”

  “Well, hello, Julietta. How wonderful to meet you. I’ve been looking forward to this for a long time.” Emma went up to her and hugged her, then took a step back and gazed at Julietta. “You look so much like your father,” Emma said with a dreamy voice. “But you have your mother’s gorgeous hair.” She brushed a strand of Julietta’s mahogany hair out of her face. “But tell me, why are you crying?” She embraced the girl again.

  Emma’s motherly warmth triggered more tears. Julietta hid her face on Emma’s shoulder and sobbed. “There, there.” Emma tapped her back. “Let’s sit down somewhere and you can tell me all about it.”

  Sofia couldn’t help smiling. Emma’s behavior reminded her of her childhood and the times she’d cried on Emma’s shoulder. She pointed at Julietta’s bag. “You can stay with us. Emma will sleep in the study. There’s enough room and Luisa said it was okay … if you want to that is.”

  “Thank you,” Julietta said and took a deep breath.

  “Okay, that’s settled,” Emma said. “Now, sweetie, let’s talk.” She pulled Julietta down on the sofa in the living-room. Sofia sat across from them. Emma looked around the living room. “What a lovely house.” Then she turned to Julietta again. “Is it a boy?”

  Julietta looked at Emma surprised, then managed a weak smile. “No.”

  “Then what?” Emma gently touched Julietta’s face.

  “It’s just … Sofia is going back to America and I shall not see her for a long time. And we will never really be together and I miss Papa so much.”

  “Oh, sweetie.” Emma hugged her. “We miss him, too. Don’t we, Sofia?”

  Sofia nodded. She felt a knot in her throat and her eyes teared up.

  “It is just all so complicated. I want to come to California to live with Sofia, but then I will miss Mamma and my friends and … I will always miss someone.” A sob escaped her.

  Emma continued to hug her. “I know what you mean. You have family in two places, you had a father in California and you only saw him once a year. And now he’s gone. You met your sister, but the two of you don’t live together. You’re being torn between two places and two sets of loved ones. It’s difficult. I’m not denying this.”

  Julietta nodded. “I do look forward to visiting Sofia,” she said with a quick smile.

  “Yes and we look forward to having you. You can always stay with us. And your mother and your uncle can come too. They have vacation once in a while, don’t they?”

  “Perhaps Mamma can come. She always wanted to know where Papa was from,” Julietta said.

  “That would be wonderful. See, you’re already making plans and thinking of the good things. You have family and friends in two places. And sometimes this is painful, but at other times it’s fun. You get to live an exciting life.”

  “Si, yes,” Julietta said. “Thank you.”

  “Luisa agreed to let Julietta visit for Christmas,” Sofia said.

  “This will be a lot of fun. I’m sure our Christmas celebration is a little different than the Christmas here. But I think you’ll like it,” Emma said.

  Julietta took a deep breath and wished the last tears away.

  “So, why don’t we both freshen up a little and then go over and try some of this excellent food Sofia told me about?” Emma said to Julietta. “I’ll unpack a few things and then I’m ready.”

  Over at the main house, it smelled of herbs and saffron. When Sofia, Julietta, and Emma entered the living and dining room, Nicholas who had been invited for lunch, got up and Sofia introduced him.

  Emma took a step back, smiled, and looked Nicholas up and down. “So you are the smashing young man my niece raves about. I have to say she has excellent taste.”

  Sofia was amused to see that Nicholas blushed. Sofia and Julietta went into the kitchen to check if they could help. Donna gave them a jug of lemonade and a tray with glasses, which they brought into the living room.

  In the meantime, Edoardo and Gina had arrived. While Emma was talking to them, Nicholas came up to Sofia with a wide grin on his face.

  “Your aunt is a crack-up,” he said.

  “I know,” Sofia said. “She made even Edoardo loosen up.”

  Soon lunch was ready and everybody was sitting around the dining-room table. Donna, who was eating with Luisa and Julietta all the time now since her husband had been arrested, sat next to Emma. The two were soon engaged in a lively discussion in Italian and English. Sofia noticed once again how much the atmosphere at the Santuccis had lightened since the old lunatic had left.

  Donna was happier, Edoardo smiled more often and even joked sometimes. Luisa, too, was livelier and Gina, who’d always been polite and cool, went up to Sofia and to her surprise began a conversation with her. And fortunately Julietta, who a few moments ago had been in tears, seemed happy again.

  Lunch was delicious, veal cutlets with parmesan, zucchini squash, porcini mushrooms, and Luisa’s excellent risotto. Edoardo opened a bottle of the Sangiovese and Merlot blend.

  “From Sofia’s vineyard,” he said, poured everybody a glass and toasted Sofia.

  In the evening, Emma, Julietta, and Sofia had a light dinner of soup and salad at Sofia’s place. Since Emma was fading fast and Julietta had to go to school the following morning, they both went to bed early. Sofia stayed up for a while, finishing one of her articles for her publisher. Since Emma was sleeping in the study, Sofia brought her laptop to the living room. Just when she closed it, she heard someone walk down the stairs.

  “Jet lag, after all,” her aunt said. “I thought I was tired, but the minute my head hit the pillow, I was wide awake again.”

  “Want some red wine or herbal tea?” Sofia asked.

  “Herbal tea, if you have some. I had enough wine with lunch.” Emma sat on the sofa. She pointed at Sofia’s laptop. “I chased you out of your study. I’m sorry.”

  “No problem, Emma. I often write down here and I’m done with my article.” Sofia boiled some water and made two cups of ginger tea.

  They both sat on the sofa facing the balcony door, where the sun had set and the darkness enveloped the fields and forests. There was a patch of dark violet clouds on the horizon and the weather forecast was for showers, but so far the October storms had been kept at bay. Since the grapes were all picked and safely stored in the fermentation tanks, the people on the estate were ready for the fall and winter rains. In fact, the dropping temperatures would give the plants time to rest and the soil needed the water from the rain.

  “I have some news for you,” Sofia said, sipping her tea.

  “Yes, I figured that much,” Emma said with a smile. “And it must have something to do with Nicholas. A very nice man, by the way. Your father would approve.”

  “Yes, I love him,” Sofia said. “I didn’t intend to get involved with another vintner or winemaker from California after my disastrous experience with the last one. But Nicholas is very different. He is kind and considerate and his heart is really into winemaking. And, he wants me as a partner.” Sofia told Emma about her plans to move up to the Central Coast and work together with Nicholas. She asked her if Emma would consider moving into Sofia’s house in Santa Monica.

  “That way, I wouldn’t have to rent it out to a stranger.
I wouldn’t charge you rent. I know you would take good care of it.”

  “I’ll definitely think about it,” Emma said. “In fact, this sounds like a great solution. I love the house and that way you and Nicholas would always have a place to stay.” She nodded enthusiastically. “But, I insist on paying rent.” She raised her hand. “Dear, Sofia, you need to become a better business woman. You’ll need the money to help Nicholas pay rent as well. And you’ll need money to support yourself.”

  “I’ll keep my job as editor and writer, at least for a while, until we rake in the big bucks,” Sofia joked. “Also, Nicholas mentioned that his grandfather and his father will help us. They’ll lend us their volunteers for planting and harvesting. I’m really happy about this, since his father was at first somewhat disappointed that Nicholas went into business on his own.”

  “This all sounds very promising. I’m so happy for you, Sofia.” Emma hugged her.

  Chapter 46

  Sofia woke up early and opened the window to a clear, brisk, and sunny late October day. It was Sunday and quiet at Podere Ginori. The vines were resting and the vintners who cared for them did the same, enjoying the relaxing time after a busy and strenuous harvest. Of course, their work would continue, but on a slower and more relaxing pace. The wine in the barrels needed to be racked regularly. Fields were going to be fertilized and vines must be pruned to prepare them for the following cycle of growth. But now it was time for the winemakers to show their art and science. It was also the time for blending wines which had been aging for a while.

  Sofia sat together with Nicholas, Luisa, Edoardo, and Emma in the tasting room on the property. Last time, Edoardo and Henry had done the blending of the estate wine together. This year Edoardo insisted that Sofia take Henry’s place. Sofia was looking forward to the process although she was nervous. She felt she didn’t have enough experience to do a good job. She’d done blending together with her father but it had been merely for fun. They’d invited a few of Henry’s friends and it had been more of a party than a serious undertaking.

  To Sofia’s relief, however, the process of tasting and blending turned out to be pleasant and easygoing. Each person had a measuring glass, a sheet of paper, the tasting notes, where they wrote down the percentage of the blends, some remarks and an evaluation. In addition, each taster had a spitting bowl.

  “It’s almost a pity to spit the wine out, but I guess you don’t want to get drunk,” Emma said.

  Edoardo laughed. “That’s one of the reasons. But the primary reason is the fact that tasting wine without drinking it gives a more accurate representation of what a wine tastes like. When you spit it out, you are left with a cleaner palate before tasting the next wine. Drinking a wine leaves an aftertaste and the aroma from the first wine lingers in your nose when you taste the next one.”

  In the middle of the table, there were four different types of red estate wine that they used for blending: Sangiovese, the most popular grape in the region, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc.

  Sofia knew that her father’s blend from the past years had been a mixture of ninety percent Sangiovese and ten percent Merlot and she was initially planning to keep the blend the same. Edoardo, however, told her not to stick slavishly to what her father had done but to taste the wines. “Make your own decision. As you know the character of the grapes changes each year.”

  He poured Sofia some of the Sangiovese into her wineglass. She swirled the wine and smelled it. “Whoa,” she said. “Strong, earthy?”

  Edoardo: “Try it.”

  Sofia took a sip and left it in the mouth for a while. “A little harsh? Lots of tannin.”

  “Yes,” Edoardo said. “Remember I told you we had quite a cool early summer last year. Sangiovese grapes can develop an astringent tannin in cooler weather. That is where the Merlot comes in. It adds fruit, body, and softness to the blend.”

  Sofia tried the Merlot and smiled. “Yes.” She suggested to add more Merlot and less Sangiovese. After trying several blends with different percentages, she decided that eighty percent Sangiovese and twenty percent Merlot was the one she liked best.

  Edoardo and Nicholas tried the blend.

  “Brava,” Edoardo said.

  “Excellent,” Nicholas added.

  Emma tried the mix as well and nodded approvingly.

  Sofia took a deep breath. She felt she’d past the test. They continued tasting and testing the blends from the estate. Feeling more relaxed, Sofia thoroughly enjoyed the rest of the tasting session. There was a lot of humor and laughing.

  However, despite the fun and the relaxed atmosphere, the final outcome of the tasting and blending session was serious business. It would decide what kind of evaluations the wines would receive from the experts and critics as well as from wine lovers all over.

  Chapter 47

  On the day of the grape harvest festival at Podere Francesco Ginori, the late October sun bathed the vineyards, now stripped of their fruit, in a golden haze. Every year after all the grapes had been picked and crushed and pressed and were doing their magic in the fermentation tanks, the family invited the workers, volunteers, and everybody who contributed to the estate for a big celebration.

  “We celebrate the coming together of nature and man and give thanks to the sun and the rain and the soil and all the many people who have contributed,” Edoardo said. He helped some of the men carry large tables outside. It was just warm enough to eat in the courtyard in front of the main house. On the lawn next to the house, a small playground had been set up for the children. Sofia, Julietta, Emma, and Nicholas were setting the tables.

  Luisa and Donna together with a few volunteers had helped prepare some of the food the day before. There was all kinds of antipasti, smoked meats—salami and the famous prosciutto—vegetables such as artichoke hearts, beans, corn, tomatoes marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. In the kitchen, Donna and Luisa and a few of their friends were preparing huge pots of risotto with mushrooms and plates with pieces of chicken and seafood. Jugs with lemonade and water and, of course, bottles of wine from the former vendemmia were spread out over the different tables.

  It was boisterous affair. People talked, laughed, and sang. Some of the workers brought an instrument, a guitar, and a few harmonicas. Children played in the field, picking the last fall flowers, or tried out the swings and the slide in the playground. Cars with invited guests from outside the area began to arrive. Sofia saw Adriano’s silver Lancia drive up. He’d brought his wife and son and daughter. She went to welcome them. Adriano and his wife hugged her.

  “I am very happy you are better again,” Adriano said. He introduced his children, a young man who seemed to be a younger version of his father, and a girl with Gerda’s blond hair and blue eyes.

  “Yes, things have improved a lot,” Sofia said. She sat at the table together with Emma, Edoardo, Gina, and their children as well as Nicholas and Julietta. Adriano shook hands with Edoardo.

  He put his hand on Edoardo’s shoulder and whispered something in Italian Sofia couldn’t understand. Edoardo’s face clouded over for a brief moment, then it lit up again. He nodded and said in English with a quick glance at Sofia. “We just found out that my father was moved to a mental clinic.”

  Sofia smiled. “I’m glad to hear this.” She wondered if Adriano had something to do with the decision. As she had realized in the meantime, knowing the right lawyers seemed to be as important in Italy as in the United States, perhaps even more so.

  Then, the eating and drinking began. Plates of antipasto were passed around. Edoardo and Nicholas poured the wine and after a few moments, Luisa and Donna joined them while a few of the volunteers brought the plates with the risotto. The scent of meat, herbs, and spices made Sofia’s stomach growl. For a while, it was quiet with people eating and savoring the estate wines.

  Sofia noticed that Julietta next to her had been unusually quiet and suspected her sister felt the pain of the upcoming separation. She put her arm aroun
d her and looked at Luisa. “Are you going to tell her?”

  Luisa nodded and turned to Julietta. “Cara, I made the reservations for you for Christmas. You will be able to spend three weeks with Sofia in California.”

  Julietta’s mouth fell open. Then she screamed and laughed. “Thank you, thank you.” She rushed over to her mother and hugged her. “This is going to be so cool.”

  Sofia took a sip of wine, put down the glass, and looked around. So many happy people all celebrating together. Only a couple of weeks before, it had seemed impossible that she could be happy here again. Now, however, a feeling of joy and gratitude filled her. She glanced at the landscape around her, the vineyards, woods, and the olive groves on the neighbor’s property. She would miss it all but she would be back.

  A few days before, Sofia had a talk with Adriano, Edoardo, and Luisa. She wanted to include Luisa and Edoardo as co-owners of her two vineyards. Edoardo steadfastly refused to accept the offer, since he felt he had no right to the property after what his father had done. The only way he would agree to a deal would be if he could pay for his and Luisa’s half. The estate had done well and they could certainly afford the money. And it would be the least he could do to compensate her for the pain they had inflicted on her, he felt.

  Sofia had talked the proposal over with Adriano who told her she would be more than stupid not to accept Edoardo’s money. “First of all,” he said. “You give Edoardo Santucci the possibility to make amends for his father’s actions. It would make him feel better. And besides,” he continued, “you told me you wanted to go into partnership with Nicholas. Wouldn’t a little extra money help you two?” He’d been right. She could contribute some of her own money and then they would be equal partners. She hadn’t mentioned anything to Nicholas yet. She figured she would surprise him with the offer once they were back in California.

  Sofia, Nicholas, and Emma were going to fly back to Los Angeles a week later. They’d been able to change their return flight so they could all travel home together. Sofia had invited Nicholas to spend a couple of days in Santa Monica with her. Later, she would join him at his place in the Paso Robles area.