Seasons Among the Vines:
Life Lessons from the California Wine Country
is part memoir and part manual that inspires readers outside the realm of farming - it's about life from the perspective of a grapevine and it's about the struggles we face with major life changes.
And ironically, in hindsight, the book became my family's handbook for survival after my husband was killed in a car crash just three days before the release of the book.
The book is for people who love good stories about adventure, and wine loving suburbanites who might want to try their hand at growing grapes and making wine at home, or just people who wonder where a bottle of wine comes from and how it's created.
Seasons Among the Vines readers will ask themselves: Will I wear shoes during crush? Will I dance under the light of the moon while stomping grapes? Will I merely dream about growing grapes and making wine and put it on my to-do list? And, most of all, what have I learned about nature and life?
Reviews
Taste Cincinnati
"How Wine Saved One Woman's Life - Paula Moulton, mother, wife and businesswoman thought she had it all. After purchasing twenty four acres of land, she learned how to plant vineyards, tend vines, landed contracts with wineries and won a bronze medal for her Cabernet Sauvignon. Then just three days before the release of her book Moulton's husband was killed in a horrific car accident. After she and her children lost him, they also lost their home and all their possessions. When she stepped back, adjusting to life as a single mother, Seasons Among the Vines brought back clear reasons as to why she wrote about farming and nature and how it relates to day-to-day life. Part wonderfully engaging story, part introductory manual to winemaking." View Source
Crystal Reviews
"Seasons Among the Vines is an exciting journey about farming that parallels life lessons for any reader. This is fascinating reading that covers soil texture and structure, grape vine anatomy, the connection between cows and lush fertilizer, bugs and funguses that attack vines, compost and cover crops that generate yielding soil for the perfectly desired grape, poisons that solve one problem only to produce a far larger problem to one's fruit, cohabiting with animals natural to farm areas, grapevine spacing and cycles of growth for certain types of grapes, trellis or cane/spur pruning systems of growing vines, proper and improper irrigation systems and so much more." View Source
Front Street Reviews
"Seasons Among the Vines, subtitled Life Lessons from the California Wine Country, is a wonderful book for any lovers of wine, products of our earth or protecting our earth. It is written with a calm, loving passion that shines through with every word. Pour yourself a fine glass of your favorite wine (or Ravenswood in hope that is contains some of Ms Mouton's grapes), find a comfy chair and enjoy this book of heart and soul. It is a celebration of grape growing, wine making and living life to its fullest." View Source
My Shelf
"Using one of the most enjoyable and unique book formats ever, Ms. Moulton details her wonderful life among the wine grapes on 24 acres in Sonoma County, California (Glen Ellen to be specific.) Not only do you get a look at life with the grapes, her three children and numerous misfit dogs, but you also get need-to-know information about how to grow grapes yourself and produce a bottle of wine good enough to take to a dinner party. The enchanting story begins when Paula and her doctor husband buy their acreage and dive into the trial and error process of growing the perfect wine grape. Dr. Mouton leaves the farming to his wife, but his presence is always felt throughout Paula's telling of her life. Three days before this book was to be published, Dr. Moulton died unexpectedly in a car accident. The book stands as an energetic and loving tribute to him and to his family." View Source
Virtual Worldsmith
"This book is vaguely reminiscent of Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. It's anecdotal as well as educational. You'll find information and instruction about grape growing and wine making. It's a beautiful book, one you'll find yourself sharing with your friends." View Source
CK2s Kwips and Kritiques
"Paula Moulton's passion for her vineyard shines through on every page. From her struggles with Mother Nature over water to the various animals that want to eat her grapes, Ms. Moulton's joy at what she is doing is evident. In fact, her passion is so great that event the most brown thumbed reader will be tempted to give it a try. Paula Moulton writes far more than just a book about how to grow grapes or make homemade wine. Instead, she uses the seasons to reflect both on the process of growing grapes to the actual stages in her life as a farmer. The use of the seasons is almost allegorical as she starts with Fall and the changes in her life, going from a city resident to living in the vast open country. Paula Moulton proceeds through each season, ending with the successes in the Summer. One can't help but appreciate her dedication and commitment. It is a tale that will be appreciated by anyone who has ever even looked at a bottle of wine or planted a seed in the ground. Paula Moulton has written a tale that is to be savored." View Source