"What you don't know won't hurt you." Paula Moulton and her husband decide they've had enough of the rat-race in the city. So they decide they will move to the lush California wine country to produce their own grapes for celebrated wine countries. But soon enough, they discover what they don't know will hurt you and your product.

Seasons Among the Vines is an exciting journey about farming that parallels life lessons for any reader. This is fascinating reading that covers soil texture and structure, grape vine anatomy, the connection between cows and lush fertilizer, bugs and funguses that attack vines, compost and cover crops that generate yielding soil for the perfectly desired grape, poisons that solve one problem only to produce a far larger problem to one's fruit, cohabiting with animals natural to farm areas, grapevine spacing and cycles of growth for certain types of grapes, trellis or cane/spur pruning systems of growing vines, proper and improper irrigation systems and so much more.

What, however, truly stands out is the love for farming and the robust engagement Paula Moulton has with learning all about this new world. Her passion in this process is infectious and her willingness to be taught from experts and her own mistakes focuses her humility and growth in this most formidable of industries. Love for it all stands out so very clearly that the reader finds one's self rooting for her success every step of the way and celebrating her initial victories.

Love that wine but love it even more after reading about this magical but real venture into the seasons and vicissitudes of producing the finest fruit for the dabbling tasters, drinkers and connoisseurs of this magnificent fruit of the vine, grapes for wine!

Reviewed by Viviane Crystal on October 7, 2007

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