In memory and honor of the heart and soul of Pure Luck Sara Gold Sweetser Bolton, 52, who passed away at her home in Dripping Springs , Texas on November 9th, 2005 surrounded by her family and friends. Sara was raised in California and spent the last 30 years in Texas laughing with and loving all those who came into contact with her.
She valued her friendships and her family above all. She loved a challenge. She was a practical joker, a cut-throat Scrabble player, and had a mischievous smile. Her children inherited her love of music, her wonder of nature and her sense of humor.

Sara's love for her goats, passion for the land and adventuresome spirit led her to found Pure Luck Farm and Dairy with her husband and partner Denny. She was a dynamo, who, when it came to her cheeses, was uncompromising about quality and enjoyed sharing her knowledge with others. She was a highly regarded cheese maker and taught cheese making workshops with her daughter, Amelia. Sara was hired by the USDA to teach cheese making in Armenia and Pure Luck cheeses have earned many medals and ribbons in National competitions. Pure Luck was one of the first farms in Texas to be Certified Organic.

She leaves behind her husband Denny, her daughters Gitana, Amelia, Claire and Hope, her grandson Will, her son-in-law Jonathan, her husband's son Barry and his children Emily and Joseph, her sister Alison, her brother James and her aunts Elizabeth and Susan as well as all her cousins.

There was a Memorial Service for Sara at on Sunday, November 27th at her home in Dripping Springs. Over 300 friends and relations attended. In lieu of donations, she requested that tax-deductible donations be made to the Heifer Project. Please go to www.heifer.org and click on the "New Giving Registry" on the right side of the page. Then fill in "Sara Bolton" and click "Find a Registry" and then go to bottom of page and click "View" check Sara's name and click "Goats" and you can make your donation to a worthy family in a Third World country.

We will miss Sara greatly and ask guidance as we try to walk in her footsteps.

If you see good in people, you radiate a harmonious loving energy which uplifts those who are around you. If you can maintain this habit, this energy will turn into a steady flow of love.
Annamalai Swami

There is a lot of talk about organically produced wine at the moment

The wine industry is pausing to take stock of where it is going. Not just here in Italy, but also across the border in France, the heart of European wine production. The quality image of its wines is part and parcel of its highly regarded food and wine sector but the industry is feeling the effects of competition from the newer wine producing countries.

The situation is not critical but it has prompted industry professionals to look at policies for the future. So it is interesting for us in Italy, with our equally thriving high quality wines, to hear the news that there is a lot of talk about organically produced wine at the moment.

Pushing the issue into the limelight was a high profile figure, René Renou, an authority on the international wine scene. He is President of the wine division of France's National Committee of Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées, the organization responsible for overseeing and enforcing the regulations governing premium wines.

In his authoritative and courageous view, there are many wines that no longer deserve to hold the AOC designation. The last fifty years have seen too much use of fertilizers and pesticides. Consequently, current practices no longer correspond to the 'faithful and continuous local methods' required by the law that has regulated the area for seventy years. It would be desirable and right to return to a more honest and balanced relationship with the land, which has been so weakened by invasive and unsustainable production methods.

There has been increasing attention on more environmentally-friendly agricultural practices in Italy too, with the wine sector part of this move. Consumers have begun to think about a more modern approach to viticulture which develops beyond a reliance on chemicals. Producers are also showing greater awareness and readiness to meet the expanding demand. For some, adopting organic methods is a good way to make greater impact in a still stagnant market.

We should welcome this development, as long as it does not just become a fashion statement by those buying and a publicity stunt for those selling. That would devalue a desirable change. We should recognize that, from the very beginning, the use of organic methods in Italy was accompanied by the need to safeguard the typical distinctive features of local products. Organic agriculture is deeply rooted in peasant farming culture.

For wine growers, organic methods are a sign of respect for the land which nurtures the grapes, for their work and the people who live nearby. The adverse effects people working in viticulture have suffered due to the use of synthetic products show how important it is to work in a healthy environment free of contamination.

And the land itself suffers and in the end becomes impoverished. Recent studies to combat flavescence dorée, a serious grapevine disease, have shown that only when the soil is not stressed by excessive application of unnatural substances are there enough mycorrhizal fungi, an invisible but valuable microorganism. They live in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of vines, helping them to obtain more nutrients and resist disease.

Using completely organic methods to produce wine grapes with the same qualities as those grown using traditional methods requires more effort, and the price will never be the same. So discerning consumers will need to shoulder responsibility for becoming 'co-producers', making an additional small economic contribution in order to have a cleaner product that benefits the environment and everyone. A demanding sommelier can forgive small defects in an organically produced wine, but that of course does not mean that poor quality should be accepted.