The next dawn.
The sound of steel shears snipping through grape stems—tok—rang out in a steady rhythm here and there, and Cabernet Sauvignon piled neatly into the baskets. I started from the first row and slowly made my way down, selecting the clusters. When I lifted one onto my palm, the berries gleamed a deep navy blue.
“Send each bin straight to the winery as soon as it’s full.”
The forklift moved with a low mechanical hum. The one-ton bin took in the grapes from the baskets, then soon headed down toward the winery.
“How much do you think we’ll get?”
Dad asked as he came up, gloves on his hands.
“Roughly between forty-five and fifty tons, I think.”
“That’s about the same scale as the Pinot Noir we bought, isn’t it?”
“Right. It’ll be close to fifty tons. Oh, and they contacted me. Silver Oak Farm says they’ll let it go for 1.1 million dollars.”
“Really?”
Dad showed interest, but then his expression turned worried again.
“Will that be all right? For the next five years or so, it’ll just keep costing money without bringing in any profit.”
“That’s why it’s cheap. If not for that, it never would’ve come out at that price.”
“That’s true, but... it’s an area that was damaged by wildfire. Buying land there again makes me uneasy.”
Dad’s concern was perfectly reasonable. And in fact, major wildfires would strike Napa and Sonoma again later, so he wasn’t wrong.
“You’re right. That’s true, but it’s still worth it. It’s not just that we’re taking on the risk. The land itself has value.”
“The land itself?”
“Yes. What we’re buying is real estate.”
Maybe because he was Korean, Dad nodded at the words real estate.
“You’re not wrong, but...”
“Real estate is something whose value doesn’t disappear if you hold onto it. If we keep paying down the principal and interest on the loan, even if we do nothing with it, we’ll at least be able to get back the price we bought it for later.”
In truth, assuming I didn’t have knowledge from before my regression, it was an extremely risky investment. If anyone had known twenty years ago that Gangnam apartment prices would rise the way they had now, they would have scraped together every penny and bought apartments—but in reality, not many people had actually made that decision.
“But that’s not why we’re buying it, is it? The restoration costs will be considerable too.”
“Right. But a large part of the restoration costs will be subsidized by the government, so we don’t have to worry too much about that. And we have cherry wine, and we’re going to make vinegar too. We also have Pinot Noir.”
“Hmm...”
“And I have a dream. I want to turn the vineyards I own into something like To-Kalon.”
“To-Kalon? That expensive place?”
“Huh? You know it?”
“You brat, I’ve studied a lot too. Of course I know it. Isn’t that the name of the vineyard founded by that man who established a grape farm in Napa a very long time ago?”
It began in 1868, when a man named Hamilton Crabb established a vineyard of about 500 acres in the Oakville region of Napa Valley and named it To-Kalon Vineyard. After his death, the To-Kalon land was divided into several pieces and sold off, and now it remained in the hands of several vineyard owners.
“That’s right. Since this land was completely burned in the fire, I’m thinking of acquiring it and rebuilding it from the soil up. Like To-Kalon is now. It’ll cost some money to create it that way, but the land value will become incredible.”
The current price per ton of Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon was roughly close to 4,000 dollars, but twenty years later, it would more than double. Even that 4,000-dollar-per-ton price was over three times higher than in other regions, which was why land prices in Napa Valley AVA were more expensive than elsewhere.
Going even further, Cabernet Sauvignon grown in To-Kalon, at the heart of the Oakville AVA in Napa Valley, would be recognized as ultra-premium grapes worth over 50,000 dollars per ton once the year 2020 passed.
Even within the same Napa Valley, already a premium grape-growing region, the price difference was about fivefold. That was why farms in the Oakville area would end up fighting legal battles over who had the right to use the name To-Kalon.
So saying I would make the terroir like To-Kalon meant I was going to completely change the future value of the land.
Come to think of it, the work I had done so far to build up the soil with biochar compound fertilizer and air-fertilizer packs was practically the same as creating a simplified version of To-Kalon’s core.
“That’s going to cost a lot. The money for buying the Pinot Noir... the loan principal, interest... the workers’ wages... our living expenses... your tuition... the restoration costs for the land damaged by fire...”
Watching Dad fold down one finger after another, I stared into the air for a moment, then spoke confidently.
“We’re going to hold a tasting for the Pinot Noir and cherry wine around November. If we sign contracts with restaurant owners there and receive advance payments, a significant portion can be covered.”
“So in the end, everything depends on the wine prices and sales?”
“That’s right.”
“Whew... Dad’s scared. It’s a full 1.1 million dollars. In Korean money, that’s well over a billion won.”
“Just trust me. And since we’re buying land damaged by wildfire, we can get a deferment on principal repayment for up to five years. We’ll also receive restoration cost support.”
After agonizing for a long while, Dad finally nodded.
“All right, let’s do it. It’s not anything else, it’s real estate, so...”
“...... You made the right decision.”
It seemed that what ultimately moved Dad’s heart was, more than anything else, the fact that what we were trying to buy was real estate.
After that, over the course of two days, I harvested all the grapes, nearly fifty tons in total, and moved them to the winery. Of those, half of the grapes that seemed even slightly lacking in marketability would be made into vinegar, and the other half into wine.
And I separately selected the prettiest, sturdiest ones and packed them in boxes. They were the entries we would submit to the Sonoma County Harvest Fair, which would be held in a few days.
---
Three days later, our whole family headed to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Santa Rosa. We were carrying the grapes we had grown this time carefully in the back seat, and smiles would not leave anyone’s faces.
After all, just finishing the difficult farming year well and taking the results with us was enough to make us excited and happy.
“Are your friends coming too?”
At Mom’s question, I answered from the passenger seat.
“Probably only Chloe. Armando is busy keeping up with his studies, and Jacob is swamped because it’s rice harvest season.”
“They could still make time for a day.”
“Come on, they already had plenty of fun at the Sunset Fest.”
“That’s true. They kept asking for you, didn’t they? What a shame, when they want to have fun with you.”
They had begged me several times to hang out together, but since they knew how busy I was, my friends couldn’t push any further.
“It’s not like I want to party that badly anyway.”
“But Jacob’s family farm is huge, you said? Then does Jacob operate machines and things?”
“You can’t think of it like rice farming in Korea. They can’t do anything without combines. Jacob said he first drove a combine when he was fifteen.”
“Oh my, America really is different.”
“Exactly.”
“If Chloe’s coming, couldn’t we have picked her up?”
“Good grief, Mom. It’s a long way from our house to Chloe’s. Besides, she has a car.”
Chatting with my parents like that, we arrived at the venue, which was so packed with people it was hard to pass through. Bins and wine bottles lined up by region, and the names of wineries printed on large banners, caught my eye.
Amid them, Chloe, who had arrived early as promised, waved her hand. Today, her white shirt and jeans stood out for some reason.
“You’re here!”
“Yeah. There was a bit of traffic.”
“Hello!”
At Chloe’s energetic greeting, my parents welcomed her warmly.
“When does the blind test start?”
“At the very end.”
“I saw people from your department walking around earlier.”
“That makes sense. Not many of them would have submitted grapes, so they’ll just take part in class for a bit later.”
“I see.”
The class was to participate, as students, in the blind test the professor had announced in advance. As senior Matthew had said, it wouldn’t be reflected in the judging scores, but it was meant to evaluate the extent of the students’ senses. Students who gave scores similar to the judges would receive extra credit.
“Let’s submit the grapes first.”
In one corner of the venue, each farm was lining up to enter their grapes and wines, and under the large tent, dazzlingly arranged clusters of grapes sparkled as they greeted visitors. The opening ceremony, held with lively music, felt like a festival ground, but the people who seemed to be farm owners had fairly tense faces.
Together with my parents, I carried the grapes we had painstakingly harvested into the venue. Dad’s eyes shone with nervousness, and Mom lovingly wiped the grape clusters herself, as if even a speck of dust might cling to them. In front of us, the numbered entry table was already waiting.
“Will it be all right?”
At Mom’s worried look, I smiled.
“Mom, don’t worry. Ours aren’t grapes meant to be eaten fresh anyway, so they won’t draw that much attention. We submitted them so we can add a line to the record later when we make wine.”
“Still...”
Even for wine grapes, getting a good score at an event like this would naturally raise the brand value of a farm. Farms that had already steadily built their brands over many years would not submit entries to an event like this, but it wasn’t strange for small farms to participate in order to make their brands known.
When the judging began, the noise in the hall lessened, and judges wearing neat coats lined up to taste each farm’s grapes and write down their scores.
“It’s ours.”
When the judges reached our grapes, a tense Mom gripped my hand tightly. They evaluated the color and shape, as well as the mouthfeel and aroma when eaten, calculating an overall score for the grapes as wine ingredients, then looked at one another and nodded.
“These grapes... the aroma is different.”
“The balance of acidity and sweetness is excellent.”
The expressions of the professors as they left brief notes were unusual.
“Looks like they’re good?”
Chloe, who was nearby, whispered by my ear.
“Who knows.”
I said I didn’t know, but I was certain. They were grapes grown in optimal soil built with biochar compound fertilizer and air-fertilizer packs, harvested at the perfect time through flawless water stress control. If they weren’t top quality, then the dozens of research papers I had written up until now would be a waste.
A short while later, the host’s voice rang out.
“Now, it’s time for the awards in the wine grape category of this year’s Sonoma County Harvest Fair! This year’s first place goes to...”
The host paused for a moment, then shouted.
“Surprisingly, it’s a tie for first place. Castello Winery! And Redwood Winery!”
The participants were momentarily bewildered, but soon burst into applause. Matthew, who had been nowhere to be seen, walked leisurely onto the stage. When he saw our family going up as well, a look of bewilderment crossed his face.
His eyes clearly said that he couldn’t accept the fact that our farm had produced grapes good enough to be compared to Cabernet Sauvignon grown at Castello Farm, which belonged to To-Kalon.
“I would have been satisfied with second place... It’s an honor to share first.”
I said quietly to Matthew as we stood on the awards platform. And I meant it sincerely. When I heard that he was participating, I had thought second place was the best possible result. I never imagined they would give us a joint first.
Professor Thomas Edward, who had served as head judge, looked at Matthew and me with a fresh sense of interest and said,
“Matthew is our student... and it says here that Redwood Farm is also our student?”
“That’s correct. I’ll be participating in the blind test later as well.”
When I said that, he gave me a benevolent smile.
“You grew them astonishingly well.”
After saying that, he turned to Dad and continued in a voice full of amazement.
“I would like to express my respect for cultivating Cabernet Sauvignon comparable to this outside of To-Kalon.”
“Thank you.”
My parents thanked him, and he turned back to Matthew.
“Strictly speaking, first place should be yours. However, since your farm has already written a long history over many years, I judged that if the difference was slight, a joint first place was appropriate. Do you think that was unfair?”
“No, sir.”
Matthew shook his head as if he had no complaints at all, and Professor Thomas awarded both farms a plaque and a prize of 5,000 dollars.
“You did great!”
From far below the platform, Chloe waved her hand, and my parents responded by waving both hands back. Anyone watching might think she was their daughter.
As we came down from the platform, Matthew passed by in a huff without saying a word. He knew as well that a joint first place was effectively a defeat.
“He’s got a fiercer personality than his looks suggest.”
I chuckled and approached my excited parents. And UC Davis students, along with Matthew Huggins, were watching the scene closely.