Dust Warriors: March 2021 Book + Bottle Pairing
My best friend has repeatedly expressed in bewilderment, while rolling her eyes, that I still haven’t read what she considers her favorite book, The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Even more so, she exclaims, another of Hannah’s books would be my favorite if I’d just take the time to read it - The Great Alone. Perhaps it’s my inherent stubbornness - to not be told what to do - or perhaps I’m setting my expectations so high that I need to be in the perfect place at the perfect time to read these allegedly perfect books. Whatever the reason, I, unlike so many people of my age and gender, have not read Kristin Hannah until now. (Sorry, Lydia, I’ll read them soon!)
THE BOOK
I was immediately intrigued by The Four Winds when I heard the premise of the book - an historical fiction novel about the Great Depression and Dust Bowl - it’s a time frame we don’t see too much fiction about these days. My thoughts immediately went to The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, a book which I despised in my ignorant, self-inflated high school days, but I’ve been meaning to return to since Steinbeck’s other novel, East of Eden, rose to the very top of my Favorite Books of All Time List. I won’t lie - this is hard stuff to read about - starving people, desperate families, mortal poverty, and utter hopelessness. Perhaps that’s why I wasn’t in a place to understand way back in high school. It’s certainly no easier to read about now - with an even greater appreciation for the disparities in our society, it feels closer and more real, and more possible that we could see something like that again.
In Kristin Hannah’s epilogue, she mentions the timeliness of this story, which at first surprised me. We’re so far from all that now - as I look around at sinks that spout water without even touching them, food that gets thrown away at restaurants, an abundance of comfort items like books and wine surrounding me constantly. But that’s unfortunately not true for everyone. Every day people face hardships and suffer, but we’re also living through yet another unprecedented time - the Covid Years. People are out of work, they are afraid, they have lost everything, they are sick or trying hard to keep their families well, they may even be hopeless. Just like the Depression the Dust Bowl showed us, ruin can happen to anyone, even the previously affluent, the intelligent, the hard workers. You can be well and stable one day and have nothing the next. And that’s why we need to stick together and help each other out every day. It’s what we would want and need if we suddenly found ourselves in the position the characters in the book found themselves.
“There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your fellow Israelites who are poor and needy in your land. ”
The Four Winds follows a young woman named Elsa as she struggles through adolescence as part of a well-off family, marries into another successful and hard working family, and then makes her way west, from Texas to California, to try to save her family, from sudden ruin. She faces hardship at every step and lives in fairly constant fear - for herself, her friends, her people, and her children. But struggle grows greatness, and Elsa goes from humble farming wife to warrior, having to face the truth of politics and “what is American” along the way. The politics is another way this book rings true to our times. Over the past few years, America has been treating Mexicans and Mexican emigrants as criminals, just as the government treated the Mexicans of the 1920s and the “Okies” of the 1930s, and so many other groups throughout history. Human society seems to always need an outsider - someone they can be better than, win against, take advantage of, a scapegoat. It pits “us” against “them,” whether the “them” is Mexicans, the poor, the rich, Blacks, the Japanese, the Irish, the Chinese, the Catholics, Protestants, the Okies,…you get the point. What this book reminds us is that we’re really all the same at least at some point in time, so why divide ourselves when we can unite and lift each other up? It would prevent so much suffering.
“From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs.”
Kristin Hannah is a master storyteller. She creates honest, compelling characters, who struggle, and sometimes, who overcome. We attach ourselves to these characters and are so easily able to relate to them and empathize with their problems despite long separations of time or situation. What I loved most is that she used her powers for good - to tell a story about someone needing help so that we might be compelled to be compassionate, gracious, and giving to others.
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. ”
I loved this book because the characters were compelling, the storyline had a great arch that kept me reading so I could make sure the characters would be okay, and the historical backdrop fascinated me and encouraged me to read more about this impactful period in our history. I also liked the book because it challenged me to look at labor laws, prejudice, prosperity, and gratitude in a deeper way. I reflected on the politics in the book and compared them to my own - my ideal way of being. This book has sparked numerous conversations with friends on these topics as well, which is always fun.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the main character in the book: the land. Throughout the novel, the land creates wealth and prosperity, creates a hideaway and solitude for an angsty teenager, teaches a woman the meaning of family, provides beautiful gifts, nourishes its people. The land also destroys people, creates hardship and pain, causes destitution, forces people away from home, causes Typhoid, is ugly, is barren, and ravages its people with extremes. The author mentions that the Dust Bowl was a preventable natural disaster had the farmers better known how to care for the land and not used it all up and spit it out. I partly wish she had been more deliberate about her plea for people to pay attention to the environment this time around during our current climate crisis, though I found, upon reflection, that she told the story of humans relationship to the land in a way that more people these days might resonate with - the story of humans against humans. Just as she argued that the Mob Bosses and the government were using up the people and then spitting them out again without any care, that’s effectively what happened to the land - the farmers used it all up without giving back, and the land finally broke under them.
THE WINE
When Elsa marries, she becomes a Martinelli, and enters into a family who have recently become Americans - they emigrated from Sicily, in Italy, bringing with them their culture, their love for their land, and their wine grapes. In the story, the emigrants bring grape seeds from their native Sicily and plant them on their farm in Texas. One thing that reminds them of home and binds them to their old land, is the wine they make from these Nero D’Avola grapes. In Europe, this is common practice. Most homes have some grape vines, and the family makes a small stash of wine for their own consumption. Why buy what you can easily make? Nero D’Avola is one of the most important indigenous grapes grown in Sicily, so it’s normal that this is what the family would have. It was only natural then, that we pair The Four Winds with a Nero D’Avola to celebrate the Martinelli family heritage - the Poggio Anima Asmodeus Nero D’Avola 2017. Normally, Nero is grown in Sicily’s volcanic soil, giving the wine a distinct richness and minerality that gives it its sense of place. What’s particularly fitting about this wine is that it’s not grown on volcanic soil - this one is from the Western part of Sicily where the soil is sandier and lighter. I love the similarity between the land in Texas and the land in this part of Sicily, and I can really imagine that this Poggio Anima tastes similar to what the Martinelli’s might have.
The nose of this Nero D’Avola is bursting with pure red cherry along with notes of very ripe plums, animal sweat, and garrigue (the herbaceous, piney, dusty scrubland of the mediterranean that is also similar to the cedar scrub in Texas or the chaparral in California). On the palate, its got a buttery soft mouthfeel, is medium bodied with nice, ripe tannins. There’s a hint of cedar box that’s complemented by cooking herbs, leather saddle, and more red cherry juice. Normally, Nero D’Avola is a fun choice for people who normally gravitate towards Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah. This one won’t disappoint those drinkers but will also be great for those of us who also prefer something a little lighter. I don’t know if you’ve been to Brick + Mortar on Central Ave, but if you get their super savory burger to go, you’ll want to snag a bottle of this to go with it. At home, this wine is smooth enough to drink alone, but it’s also a mighty choice for some tasty treats. Have some charcuterie available? The herbs in salami will complement the herbaceous nature of the wine and semi-soft slightly tangy cheese would love it (feta, anyone?!). Or marinate some chicken in BBQ sauce and throw it on the grill and crush this wine while you’re cooking and while you’re eating. And, while you’re enjoying the delicious fruit of a successful harvest, give thanks for the bounty.
Regardless of what we are speaking - whether the land, politics, people - we must give and take. We must care for those who do for us, and not use them all up. This month, as you read this novel form of entertainment and imbibe this precious nectar from the earth, I also encourage you to tell someone you appreciate them, give the land a hug by planting a tree, keep a gratitude journal, think about where your food came from and who helped it get to your table. Maybe share your book with a friend when you’re done, or invite a neighbor over to crack this bottle with you. Regardless how you do it, I hope you enjoy and please pay it forward :)