Days of Wine & Roses



The Roman poet Horace's admonition that the "shortness of life forbids us long hopes" is echoed in 19th century British poet Ernest Dowson's phrase, "They are not long, the days of wine and roses."

The relationship of wine and roses is more than poetic and aesthetic, however. The symbiotic connection between vines and roses represents an ancestral cultural tradition as well as illustrates the complex micro-ecology necessary for the growth of grapes.  The practice of using rosebushes in vineyards at the end of each row is said to serve as a kind of alarm for mildew infestation, an index for assessing optimal conditions for grape cultivation (soil, water, and sun exposure) as well a measure of possible threats to the growth of the vines and their vulnerable fruit.

Good grapes come and go with the season.

Or as the poet laments, "Our path emerges for a while, then closes within a dream."

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