A Month of Anticipation
Throughout most of my life—and truly for all of the Loew family members—my grandfather would tell us to always, “anticipate.”
We were always taught to anticipate our next move, whether in the winery, driving, or simply in life. My grandfather always taught us to be defensive and to think ahead. That way, we could be aware of any problems that needed to be solved before they arose.
Yet this month, I’ve been hearing another word over and over again: “Murphy’s law.” This time it came from the rabbi helping us kasher our winery so we can make kosher mead.
Sometimes, even with thinking ahead, things can still go “wrong.” Over the years I’ve learned that with persistence and creativity, almost everything is figure-out-able. The 2025 harvest has barely begun and it has certainly tested that belief.
At the center of it all is one essential piece of equipment: a steam generator that we purchased from Italy, without which we cannot produce kosher wine or mead. We ordered it well in advance. However, we did not anticipate that the steam generator would arrive wired incorrectly. Or, that the replacement, air shipped from Italy, would miss its connecting flight to NY from the UK. Or, that once the steam generator landed in the United States, the Italian company entered the incorrect delivery address causing another several day delay.
At each unfortunate update, the Rabbi’s only reply was a wry, “Murphy.” Now, after a couple of weeks of delays, we can be cautiously optimistic that our steam generator will arrive on Thursday, August 28th with hours to spare before we will need to process Chenin Blanc grapes.
The whole ordeal reminds me of the Passover song, called Chad Gadya (a song that my cousins sing each year on the second night of Passover). Chad Gadya, meaning “one little goat” is a song that tells a story of small beginnings that escalate into absurd proportions. Though less than pleasant in its details (despite its upbeat tune), it perfectly resembles the chain of unfortunate events we’ve faced with this single piece of equipment.
So, here we are now, anticipating the arrival of the steam generator as well as the true start of harvest. Let’s hope we are done with instances of “Murphy’s law” for the rest of the season! This harvest, I’m holding close to another one of my grandfather’s mottos, “keep moving forward,” and my own reminder that everything is figure-out-able.
Because one truth remains: ripe grapes wait for no one.