A friend of mine has decided to get the wheels turning on a second career… in viticulture. The idea is to create a really cool, biodynamic-organic winery in the area, which I think is a super idea. Because of my rampant enthusiasm, I was invited to help with the planting party… and then I was commissioned to cupcake it up to treat the hard-working friend-volunteers out in the fields.
Friends who dig and plant need sustenance, and sustenance should always come with frosting, I say.
I decided that a theme was screaming at me: wine! The quagmire that is Pinterest led me to this recipe, and to this one, too… and my path was set. It seems that wine and sugar are meant to coalesce: the chocolate cuppies were almost flourless and the dense, fudgey flavour was enhanced by the juicy punch of full-bodied wine in the frosting; the sparkling wine in the white cupcakes was effervescent… that frosting was fluffy and delightful.
To round out the selection (teetotalers and kiddies needed consideration!), I made a batch of vanilla cupcakes (doctored up cake mix… added whipping cream among other secret stuff) topped with orange-coloured frosting with a cherry on top. Deeelightful.
A fanciful display of my vine-planting, wine-inspired cupcakes. The masses gobbled them up nicely.
View from above… I got the great tiered tray and cake stand from a little shop in Topsham last year.
A close-up of the chocolate-chianti variety, topped with a lovely little red grape.
This photo doesn’t do this lovely little gem (topped with a single elegant dragee) justice… It was really quite pretty in person.
The humble vanilla cupcake steps into the sunshine in bold orange, pink, and red. Superstar!
While I was clearly distracted by my creations, the grounds -and activity therein!- were equally enticing.
A crate of vines, waiting to be planted.
The gnarly old tree by the bridge…
Cute little grapes… a preview of grape things to come!
I love wineries… and I love friends. I can’t wait for the vines to grow, for the grapes to appear, and for the wine to pour!
~S
Cezanne's Rainbow 
The cupcakes look awesome! Very professional looking!