There really is something magical about the sudden transformation from pedestrian green to canary yellow from verdure to alizarin crimson and firetruck red. It is not just the change that is a miracle in and of itself, but the incredible contrasts in colors amplified by the close bosomed friend of the maturing sun.

Frozen Vines and Gold Medal Wines: A Look Back at Winter 2025 at Veritas. It is hard to understand how this winter could have been so darn cold. We’ve been in Virginia for 25 years, and this was undoubtedly the longest prolonged spell of cold weather. I have been bemoaning that in the last few winter newsletters or so, we haven’t had a decently cold winter, but this one has made up for it in spades (or shovels of snow).