G. Hamilton Mowbray was his name.Wine and vineyards in Maryland
Were once the objects of his game.
He won the Merite Agricole award in 1975.
This was his major claim to fame.
Montbray Wine Cellars was his stomping grounds.
That was where he could usually be found.
Tinkering with the grapes he deduced
Adding SO2 and egg to the juice.
Then old Ham departed the vineyard
Never more to roam the Cellar
His ashes became part of the terrior (that means soil for you retards).
Then the vineyard closed
In the year of our Lord -
Nineteen hundred and ninety-two.
The ghost of old Ham now roams
In the place he once called home.
The vineyard where he once deduced
Add some yeast to grapes and turn up the heat
You’ll get some darn good wineThat no one else can beat.
Posts
Jude-
ReplyDeleteIt was great reading this article about Ham Mowbray...I worked for Ham in 1969 and helped him with the winery and property. He was a Great man, person, father and husband. I knew the family well and it was a wonderful first job learing about the wine process and processes involved. It you find additional information about Ham please forward.
Best Regards,
Gordon
Gordon,
ReplyDeleteOld Ham Mowbray is a poem I wrote for a Wine History class I took last year. An Ode to ol' Ham. Glad you enjoyed it. You worked for Ham? That's awesome! Where do you live? How did you find my Wine Muse blog? Thanks very much for your commment!
Wine Muse (Jude)
Hey Jude,
ReplyDeleteI would be fascinated to know how your were compelled to write about my Uncle Ham (my mother's brother) back in February. I've been transplanted to the Northwest from my Maryland countryside upbringing since 1974 and now live in Portland after stints in Seattle, Tacoma, the Eastside and Bellingham until early this year. The times (which were many) that I spent at the winery are some of my fondest although at the time, we all thought Ham was more than a bit screwy. I've never found a white wine I like after cutting my "wine teeth" very early in my imbibing career on Uncle Ham's Seyval Blanc. He made some very special wines and I'd give my "eye teeth" to have some of it right now. I like your poem in particular and your irreverence in general. Hope to hear from you. Jeanne Louise Pyle
Hello Jeanne,
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question, I was taking a wine history class at the NW Wine Academy in Seattle. We were given a list of people to choose from who had an affect on the world relative to wine to do a report on. I chose Old Ham but I couldn't find much info on him so I wrote a poem about him in lieu of writing a report. Lazy? Perhaps. Effective? Very. My wine history instructor loved it.
The Internet and the blogosphere has sure made the world a much smaller place, communication-wise.
Thanks for commenting on my blog!
Wine Muse