here’s why struggle might be the flavor 👀

Happy Wine Wednesday!

I’m Megumi, a corporate escapee turned entrepreneur and sommelier, here to bring you sharp wine tips, no-bullshit thoughts on life in (and beyond) corporate America, and a woman-made wine you’ll be excited to pour & share. 

Here’s what we’re drinking (and thinking) about this week:

Pour Decisions

You may have heard this before:
Struggling vines make better wines.

(Okay, I hadn’t either until I started my wine studies. I grew up in Japan, English is technically my second language, give me a break!) 

But it’s true, so let’s break it down.

We all learned at some point that plants need sunlight, water, and nutrients to grow (remember chlorophyll?). Grapevines are no exception. But here’s the twist (literally):

Grapevines are climbers. In the wild, they twist themselves up trees with their tendrils in search of more sunlight. Their biological mission? Make juicy grapes that birds want to eat so they’ll carry the seeds far and wide (yes, via poop).

But when a vine is too comfortable - plenty of water, lots of nutrients, no stress?
It coasts. It focuses on leafy growth, not grape quality. Why bother making delicious fruit when life’s already good?

(Okay, did you also just picture That Guy? Because I think we all know one.) 

That’s why grape growers intentionally constrain the vine, training it on trellises, pruning its leaves, and limiting how far it can stretch.

They create just enough stress so that the vine focuses its energy into the fruit, not lazy growth.

Same goes for water.

In dry regions like California, some irrigation is essential. But too much water? You get big, watery grapes with diluted flavor. 

Mass-market wines often come from these over-irrigated vineyards: lots of fruit, not a lot of personality.

The best wines come from vines that have to work.

These vines need to push their roots deep into dry, stingy soil. They panic, just a little, and knowing that this isn’t a safe place to grow, put everything they have into making grapes worth spreading.

These grapes have small berries: more concentrated flavor. 

In fact, UC Davis found that grape growers in Napa could cut irrigation by 50% without sacrificing quality.

Of course, there’s a line.
Too much struggle and the vine suffers.

It’s all about balance. You need enough of a challenge to focus the vine’s energy without breaking it.

And no, I don’t know if this applies to your houseplants. Sorry.

Sip Happens

You already know where I’m going with this.

Sigh.

The struggle is real, friends. And I’m not here to hand you a motivational quote about how everything happens for a reason. Sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes it’s just fucking hard. 

But sometimes..the struggle does grow something.
(I said sometimes.)

Last year, I was burnt out.

Between a toxic startup job where I was the only woman, interviewing women in wine, writing the Merobebe newsletter every week, and figuring out if I was moving out of LA, I was stretched thin and fully spiraling.

I had a bunch of ideas, half-finished Google Docs, a somewhat-updated résumé, a small freelance client, and a daily practice of doomscrolling the LinkedIn jobs page.

I had little tendrils growing in (very) different directions.
But no fruit.

Every time I thought about restarting Merobebe, I would stall.
Maybe I needed a new direction or a rebrand.”
Definitely another week (or month) to think about it.

But honestly? I was just tired.

And scared that whatever I made wouldn’t be enough. Or right. Or maybe this is all just stupid and I should get a “real job.”

Still, I stayed with it because I knew this was what I needed to do.

I trimmed back the overgrowth, let myself rest, and asked what I actually wanted to build this time.
What would feel honest to me and sustainable? What mattered to me now?
And slowly (so slowly), something that felt real and truthful started to grow.

Not because I forced it, but because I let it get uncomfortable. And I gave it and myself space.

I learned that I didn’t need more output.
I didn’t need to revise the positioning statement again, or tinker with the brand colors.
I needed to pause and focus on clarity and depth. 

Ready for me to be cheesy?

I needed to focus on making my grapes really juicy.
(Yep. I heard it too. That sounded sexual. We’re just going to leave it there.)

So now, I want to know:

Where are you spreading yourself thin?
What part of your life feels overgrown right now?
And what could you cut back to make your metaphorical grapes juicier?

(Sorry. Had to.)

Hit reply and tell me what you’re pruning back! I’d love to hear. 

Cheers to Her
Spotlight on this week’s woman-owned or -made wine

Meet Heather Griffin, partner at Summit Lake Vineyards: a family-owned winery on Napa’s Howell Mountain AVA.

Every wine they make is named after the next generation of grandkids (how fucking cute is that?!).

As Heather puts it:
“Grow something. Put your hands into dirt. There is something magical and grounding when you grow things… Everyone has space to grow something.”

Whether you’re sipping their Zinfandel or their Rosé named for Blythe, you’re tasting decades of family, care, and place.

Check out Summit Lake Vineyards to learn more or plan a visit up the mountain. You will be warmly welcomed by Heather and all the vineyard dogs!

And remember, struggle can be good. 
But let’s make sure it’s worth the squeeze.

Cheers to finding yours this week.

P.S. Hit reply and tell me what you’re growing toward - and what you’re done growing for!

P.P.S. I was recently featured in delish, talking about organic vs. biodynamic vs. natural wines. Get the full breakdown here if you’re interested!