Kelly Calvillo

A week in Wine Country — Livermore, California.

Let’s be honest, it’s easy to write about a community that naturally and warmly welcomes everyone into their community as a collective of makers.

The amount of Lobster boils, back(vine)yard concerts, sunset chef-dinners and satiating events seems to be never-ending. It’s a community that celebrates the land that they’re on and promotes tradition & hospitality over the developed & transient.

For a short period of time, I was able to get to know some of the women that run and honor Livermore Wine Country. The heritage and stories of what it takes to be a woman in the wine industry as artists, mothers, wine connoisseurs and much more, seem to be the secret sauce that extends far past the glass.

They taught me how to identify the age of a grapevine by its size (the fatter the vine the older it is), and brought to light the very real struggles of what it’s like to deal with climate change growing their heritage wines. As the cold air moves in from the north and changes the growing process of their previous heroes — the need to pivot to their ‘Cabernet Franc’ Era seems to be at its height. In doing so, Livermore Wine Country found their identity in who they are and their place in the wine region as the Cab Franc experts.

I’ll be sure to be back for ‘Taste’ their premier food and wine experience come every October. In the meantime, I’ve compiled a few of my favorite wineries and places for you to support if you’re enticed to the area.

*My recommends can be found on the last slide above.

White Lotus Season 4? …Incoming.

Photographed for at Troon North before Spring moved in.

Election night-eve thoughts: Politics and the flag.

It’s tough — as an American, I used to love the United States flag. I remember leaving the country at a very young age and coming back to see the stripes and stars to think ‘There’s no place on earth like it’. Now more than ever I’ve seen the flag be used as a symbol of hate, and for one side to use it as a political stance dividing a country.

I can’t help but think of how the 50 stars represent such different opinions and lives. I think that’s the point — that we’re ALL represented. So why is it being used for only half of the country gallantly? An American flag with 50 stars doesn’t stand for 50% of us. It’s all of us.

To me, America is Black, America is Gay, America is Hispanic, America is Trans, America’s elemental fabric is made up of immigrants — it’s everything and everyone in between.

All this to say, to my fellow Americans — If you’re on the fence about voting, I hope you find the time before Wednesday to fit in a really big decision for some of us. It might not affect you, but not voting for someone is still a vote. As we all battle with the daily inner battle of being the ‘main character’ of our own lives, strive to use empathy this week to care for, look out for, and vote for others.

https://vote.gov
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Kel