Rule No.63 - Don't long for the unripe grape

"It’s clear that to blend together unripe grapes and over-ripe grapes doesn’t result in a balanced wine. Indeed, under-ripe grapes are completely undesirable and can ruin a wine, not add freshness."

Nothing worse than a bad wine so why on earth would you long for the unripe grape. What beats a gorgeous glass of Sauvignon on a hot day, or sitting by the fire in the middle of winter with a delicious glass of Merlot? I know, not much! By longing for the unripe grape you just trying to hurry a good wine which just is not done.

Okay, I make joke, this is quite obviously not what this rule is about. I understand it as a patience rule. By longing for the unripe grape you are only torturing yourself and putting an unnecessary pressure on yourself, where you could just be at peace with it and give it time to grow into the most amazing fruit. Somebody I used to know once complained about an unripe grape he had and made himself miserable, but with time and patience now, i think he has realised that

the unripe grape is now the ripe, juicy, beautiful grape, perfect for him.

There is a fable that I came across while researching this rule and I want to share it. It's a bit of a contradiction to what I have just spoken about but it's a really good story and it has to do with unripe grapes. It is an Aesop's Fable, a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 BCE. Here it is:

A Fox one day spied a beautiful bunch of ripe grapes hanging from a vine trained along the branches of a tree. The grapes seemed ready to burst with juice, and the Fox's mouth watered as he gazed longingly at them.

The bunch hung from a high branch, and the Fox had to jump for it. The first time he jumped he missed it by a long way. So he walked off a short distance and took a running leap at it, only to fall short once more. Again and again he tried, but in vain.
Now he sat down and looked at the grapes in disgust.

"What a fool I am," he said. "Here I am wearing myself out to get a bunch of sour grapes that are not worth gaping for." And off he walked very, very scornfully.

There are many who pretend to despise and belittle that which is beyond their reach.

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