As with trees, the vine leaves change color in the fall, disappear in the winter and return fresh and green in the spring. I was lucky enough to visit Clara last year, and I got to see the vineyards of her home at a few different times of year. On my most recent visit last week, the fields were a beautiful golden color.
I was amazed when I first saw the vineyards, mainly because they were so large. In New Mexico I do not often see plant farms because they are outside of my home town. To see little houses clustered among the vineyards was also really cool. People get to live so close to nature, here.
I think I will always be impressed by the size of the vineyards in this part of Germany. In the fall when the grape vine leaves change color, the whole countryside changes color as well. I am a bit in awe. Whenever I see the vineyards now I am happy because they represent Clara and her home to me.
Germany has thirteen major wine-growing regions, the majority being in the west part of the country. Depending on where a vineyard is, the grapes it produces will taste different. The climate, weather, sunlight, water, temperature and nutrients in the soil all play a role; so a grape from this region of Germany will taste different to a grape from California. Usually, grape vines need a lot of water, prefer rocky, sandy soil and need a temperate climate. A temperate climate means that the temperature is medium: it is not too hot nor too cold. The grape vines I have seen grow in flat fields, across rolling hills but also on somewhat steeper hills.
