52 Ancestors Week 44: Spirits

 From Amy Johnson Crow: Week 44

The theme for Week 44 is "Spirits." Spirits can be in keeping with Halloween, but don't limit yourself to ghost stories! Spirits could refer to beverages or even a mood ("he was in good spirits.") Speaking of good spirits, what about cheerleaders? Be creative!

It's no Chateau Picard. But....SALUD!

    If there's one thing that the French and the Italians have in common it's a love of wine. Southern Europe's warm climate allows for wine to be produced in vast quantities in large vineyards all around the countryside. It's a staple in the Italian dining experience and if you were ever offered some by an Italian you'd better take it or risk seriously offending the host. It's no joke. People take their wine very seriously! My family may not have had a vineyard in France (or Italy even) like some Starfleet captains I know. They still have taken it upon themselves to produce their own wine at home. Results, of course, may vary.

Vincenzo and Fortuna

       My great-grandfather Vincenzo made his own wine and by the time of his passing he had five huge barrels of fermented grape juice in his basement! That's a lot of wine! He made so much that his second wife, Fortuna, had plenty to drink after he passed away in 1970. According to my father she drank a lot of the stuff. She must have really loved him or the wine. You make the call! Most of the homemade wine I've sampled have been so strong that it could be used as a paint thinner! It could even give moonshine a run for its money.

    I've often wondered how he even got started making his own wine because it's not like he had a huge vineyard to work with at all of his houses he owned in Haverhill. I don't think he even needed a large vineyard to be honest. A few grapevines in the backyard would have been more than enough to give someone an ample supply of grapes. 

    I should also note that the grape leaves themselves made for some tasty stuffed grape leaves.  But, that's another story! =D

   Vincenzo's cousin Giovanni Coppola may have shown him the ropes as he was already an accomplished wine producer. Most Italians had their own grapevines in the backyard and those two gentlemen were no exception. Wow. I can almost see the wine tasting parties at their houses now. Anyone want a bottle of Chateau Ferraiolo? Anyone?! It's guaranteed to strip the paint off of any surface or your money back!

   

 I kid. I doubt the wine was actually used in wine tastings. Or if they even HAD them to begin with. The Merrimack valley isn't Napa valley after all! Although, you probably would have never known it considering how many people had their own supply. What's funny is that Giovanni likely started his wine production during the Prohibition! He had to be careful. VERY careful.  You don't want to get hassled by the cops just because Giovanni offered you a little bit of vino. I wonder how you got away with making wine in those days. It was probably no easy task.

 

Quick! Pour the wine before the cops get here!

    The wine they made was likely used for special occasions such as picnics, weddings, graduations and holidays. Then again they probably took any social gathering as an excuse to bring the barrels out! Why not? I just hope they drank responsibly! Know when to say when!

    Wine is a social drink and as such it's used in many social events. If you're at a party with some Italians, there's likely a bottle of Pino Noir somewhere. There's no escaping it. If you're at their house, there's a bottle of wine somewhere! Is it homemade? Is it store bought? Does it matter? If they offer you some, you take it!

    Vincenzo and Giovanni weren't the only Italians in my family known to produce wine. My grandma Ollie's uncle Rocco also had his own homemade spirits grown from his vines in Melrose. One of these days I'll have to ask my father whose wine was better. His grandfather's or Rocco's. Both men are long gone so I think the statute of limitations is up and he'd be willing to spill the beans. If I had to guess he'd say Vincenzo's wine was better. 

 

    Then again Vincenzo might have had some fierce competition because my father's other grandfather, Giuseppe, also made his own wine. This wine was cultivated from a special grape grown only on the vines in the backyard of 26 Bartlett Street in Haverhill. Its aroma was earthy with just a pinch of garlic. The flavor was sweet and....okay....I'll confess. I've never actually HAD Giuseppe's wine, either! I've heard it was pretty good, though. My father and his cousins said so!

    I do have to wonder something. Grapevines were growing all over different parts of Haverhill during the time those three were making their wine in the city. Did they each have different flavors? Was one sweeter than the other?  Did the location make any difference? I'm not sure. But, I'd love to go back in time to find out!

    
    Heh. That'd be a good reason to time travel. Forget the potential knowledge you'd gain from the experience. We have a real mission to complete! What's the difference between the Ferraiolo, Coppola and Carrabs wine? Inquiring minds want to know! I'm sure each man would say that their wine was good. 

    At the end of the day it probably doesn't matter whose wine was "better". If you were to go to their house, you'd take the wine and enjoy yourself because it was their own homemade blend. There would be nothing else like it on this planet. Sadly, their recipes have been long since lost to time. But, the spirits live on in those who have sampled it and raised a glass in their honor. SALUD!

See ya next time!

Picture of Giovanni Coppola is from O' Malley, Patricia Trainor "Italians in Haverhill", Arcadia Publishing 2001, pg. 99.

P.S. We here at "All Roads Lead to Haverhill" remind everyone to please drink responsibly. 

Update: I talked to my dad and he said Rocco's was the best as he let his wine ferment the longest. Pasquale also made his own wine.