Vino, Aspirin, and Org Chem: connected?

Tonight (or rather last night as I still haven't been able to sleep due to too many things on my mind), I set about learning something new. I turned to the library of rarely cracked books, just as I did as a child. I first looked though the plethora of cookbooks that do nothing but collect dust. I believe creating tongue tingling cuisine is better explored through the senses than in the musty smelling pages of others. I was looking for new ideas, not recipes. I thumbed through whole food books, vegetarian, early American, French, and then rediscovered a book like a old golden debloon long lost in the sand. I found an old book... well... older than me. Published in 1977. The title "Creative Winemaking" By Andre de Chambeau.

I love wine, and always wanted to try my tongue at making some. Well, I must explain that there are vines in the yard. And after letting them be for the past ten years to their own devices they are pumping out juicy little zin grapes in large bunches. The other vine, is as of yet unproductive, and I can't tell what it is. I read the book cover to cover in less than two hours. I learned wine takes truck loads of patience to get a jug of wine. And tons of trial and error.

First, the vines. We had planted two vines and it took 5 years to see a moderate amount of grapes on one.  Then I realized, that I am not going to get enough grapes off of just that one plant. I needed more. So, last night I decided to research how to make clipping clones of my good plant. Which lead me to auxin (growth hormones), and research on natural rooting compounds. In that process, after staring at my iPhone for too long, I needed aspirin to calm my growing headache. The funny thing I learned... my first fact for the day: Aspirin is made from the bark of the willow tree, which is also where you find natural auxin, or the plant hormone needed to root my clippings. A tea of aspirin and honey may just well do the trick. Why the honey? Simple. The clipping will produce auxin (an aromatic carbon ring) if it has its preferred carbon source... sucrose. So a touch of auxin to start it off and carbon to help it along. My new vines will hopefully produce fruit in two years.

That's the next thing. The fruit. Waiting for the damn fruit. A little work and more organic chemistry... then fermentation (three months). Then aging (1-3 years). No wonder why people just go to the store.