Wines

A new type of predator, stalking steadily through the twilight, into the violent violet purple haze; torn asunder and sewn back together again like a Frankenstein fennel, bounding with blueberry blue eggplant, deep obsidian leek, and green garlic foliage brushing against a quicksilver shimmering in its black licorice coat. Ah, but the eye cannot track its movements, so swift they are, and so opaque, fleeting as a pebble induced ripple in a hidden cistern of kefir lime and lavender tea.

Ancient customs, joyous incantations, and unbridled mirth ignite the soul, a myriad of celestial sparks dancing in the encroaching twilight. Then, the feast. A veritable banquet of taro, succulent slow-roasted pork and the refreshing tang of Kokoda with its notes of coconut and lime. This earthly bounty is further heightened by a cornucopia of nature's most abundantly ripe, exotic jewels: the blush of pink pineapple, the sweet mystery of lychee, the citrus burst of kumquats, the lushness of guava, and the sun-drenched sweetness of mango.

There’s a trace of woodsmoke in the beams, English lavender from long-gone wash days, cardamom folded into sweet bread baked for innumerable gatherings. You stir a pot of chickpeas with the back of a wooden spoon. The broth is fragrant, alive with a fresh bouquet garni: bay, thyme, parsley, and a little rosemary, echoing what’s come before. The scent rises gently, mixing with the older perfumes the cottage never quite let go of. It feels like a conversation across time.

Moroccan mint and cherry cola-colored petticoats coalesce, swishing softly as they sing their siren song along cobblestone streets smooth as the individual drupelets of a raspberry, or the taste buds dotting the surface of your tongue, interspersed with tantalizing turquoise suits and heady hibiscus handkerchiefs chasing diligently after, offering chartreuse and mezcal lime elixirs, intended to lure astray with their promise of a fantastic Faustian bargain.