The Vine That Learned to Climb

In the Willamette Valley of Oregon, a vintner named Rebecca bends down each spring to pick up young Pinot Noir shoots that have fallen from their trellis wires. Left to themselves, the vines would sprawl across the soil — tangling with weeds, rotting where moisture collects, producing small, bitter fruit that never fully ripens. But she gently lifts each shoot, wraps it around the guide wire, and ties it loosely with a soft cloth strip.…