Like a Fine Wine

Thanks for having a look at my entry for the On The Job Challenge 2023.

A bit of context. I started this early 2021 when the state of Victoria, Australia had two sets of COVID rules. It severely restricted Melbourne residents in their travel, but regional Victorians had greater flexibility. Many Melburnians fled to regional areas, particularly if they could work from a home or a regional office. The State borders were closed to nearly everyone not having an essential reason for travel. I set this story just after those restrictions had ended and interstate travel became less restricted. It's based in what was Miriam's office and project during those lockdowns.

I'm glad those days are over.

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"Well Dan, how do you like it?"

"Wow. Just... Wow. Who'd have thought a pile of old shipping containers would look so good? I can't believe how much better it looks in real life compared to your sketches."

Miriam smiled at her client and shrugged. "Well, you gave me a pretty open brief. Ground floor, wine tasting and sales, second-floor - cafe and observation deck, top floor - office and small living quarters. Minimal environmental footprint. Check, check, check and check."

Dan stood with his hands on his hips and looked at the new base for his winery. He had worked for years at his family's winery in the Hunter Valley, but always wanted to own and operate his own business. The opportunity to buy a small, but moderately successful wholesale vineyard in Northern Victoria had come up, and he grabbed the opportunity to convert it from selling grapes to producing his own Shiraz. After re-establishing the dilapidated processing equipment and getting it satisfactorily producing hopefully great wine, he had contracted Miriam's small architectural business to design and build the new visitors centre. It had taken him five years to get to this point, but one thing he had learnt from his Italian heritage - fine things take time.

"You were sneaky. Just sending me carefully framed photos that showed progress, but not the entire structure. It's amazing."

"Well, I knew you probably couldn't risk visiting from New South and being locked down here so I took a chance. It's not often I manage to really surprise my clients. Coming inside?"

"Yep, definitely." He followed Miriam down a curving path from the car park to the sales area. Everywhere he looked, there was an amazing attention to detail. He ran a hand over a column made of pressed red brick.

"From the ruins of the old house?" he inquired.

"Yes. The old chimneys, actually. They were blackened from the fire, but I thought they'd be a nice touch with a bit of a clean. Keep some of the heritage around."

"I like it." Dan nodded. "And this space is really spectacular. My customers' are going to be so impressed."

"Not being modest, but I know they will. I think after such a long COVID lockdown people are looking for a bit of relaxation, a bit of personalised attention. Your idea of booking a curated tasting session is a good one." Miriam unlocked the full height glass doors and folded them to one side. "Magnificent view over the vineyard and the valley, high tables so your staff don't have to bend, but a couple of normal ones so people who can't get on a stool are catered for."

Dan crossed his arms and followed Miriam around as she thoroughly described the tasting area. It was hard to believe that this room had, until recently, been used to move goods around the world. It fitted in with his philosophy of minimising his business' environmental impact. Even the expensive looking full-length glass panel doors had been scrounged from a shop in Ballarat that had been recently renovated. He shook his head slightly. Miriam had constantly amazed him with her ability to find and utilise the most obscure items.

"So, next floor?" Miriam asked, enjoying watching Dan's reaction every time he spotted an additional item. He was examining everything in minute detail, but she wanted to get him to the top floor before the sun set.

"Hmm? Sure, no worries." He followed her out and around a path to a covered ramp. Walking up, he arrived at an open area created by offsetting the containers over the ones underneath.

"Open air dining. A different view to below. It will have shade sails, but they're still a couple of weeks away. That's the chimney of your wood-fired pizza oven. That's the lift in that vertical container. Been really handy. Now, your cafe." She unlocked a switch, and the doors slid open.

Dan stepped in and went "Wow. Exactly what I wanted." He looked closely at a picture on the wall. "These photos. Where did you find them? They look like this property, but I've never seen them before."

Miriam chuckled at his surprise. "Well, first off I have to thank you for letting me set up shop here. Most of my work at the moment is in regional Vic, so being stuck within a five-kilometre lockdown radius of my Melbourne office was giving me some sleepless nights. And well, I spent a bit of my spare time at the local historical society up here. I dug through their old newspaper and photo archives to see what I could find. Quite a lot actually. I have a scrapbook I was going to give you later."

"Cool. I'm looking forward to flicking through it." Dan wandered into the small commercial kitchen and rubbed his hands with glee. "Nice. Really nice. I'm going to have some fun here."

"You're going to cook for customers too? You're going to be busy then." Miriam said, walking in behind him.

"My Nonna made sure all of us kids knew how to cook. Particularly traditional meals with wine. I enjoy it. It's a nice distraction from running a business." Dan replied, poking his head out of the small storeroom. "I'm not going to cook for customers, just friends and family. I think I have a great chef lined up. I just need to convince her that this is the best new cafe around."

"Fair enough. Hope it comes off. Care to follow me upstairs?" Miriam had wanted to show Dan the cafe's balcony, but her client had spent so long pottering around his new kitchen she decided to go straight to the top floor.

"No worries. Looking forward to seeing how you've spent time in my office." He followed her to a spiral staircase at the back of the kitchen area.

"This really is only for you to use or in emergencies. Everyone else would use the lift."

"Fair enough. Is it gated at the top? I'd hate for the kids to be running up and down through the kitchen."

Miriam paused with her foot on the bottom step and turned to look at Dan. "No gate, but there's a lockable door at the top. I didn't think you had kids though. Aren't you and Alessandra just engaged?"

Dan gave her an enigmatic smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Yep, we're engaged and no kids. That would not go down well with the more religious side of the family. I was thinking of the nieces and nephews."

"Oh good. No worries about them then. It's kid safe." Miriam jogged up the stairs, the hem of her short dress flicking up as she moved.

Dan waited politely until she had moved up a bit and out of the way, but in reality, her long, lithe legs captivated him. Miriam was very good looking, but she was just as comfortable wearing safety boots and a fluro vest as she was today - block heeled sandals and a sleeveless cream dress that finished above the knee. The few times Dan had met her in the flesh, she always had a smile on her cute face which hid a steely inner toughness. She was equally adept at making sure that her contractors knew she took no shit and at charming potential clients.

As Miriam moved up, Dan glanced up and caught a flash of her bare bum. Just a nanosecond of smooth tanned skin, but enough to get his imagination racing. He sniffed and blinked; the image burnt into his mind. His subconscious wondered if she was going commando or wearing a thong. He told it to shut up. Miriam was gorgeous but married.

"This. Is. Bloody marvellous." Dan exclaimed as he stepped onto the landing. The top floor was split into two areas - private living quarters and an office area. The office area was set up with a couple of desks, and a small conference table. It looked professionally informal.

"The lounge area and the kitchenette is shared between the two sides, but you have your own bathroom. You really don't want clients checking out what shampoo you use. Your clients will come up in the hydraulic lift and see the view over the vineyard. You can either have the doors folded back so you can have the breeze come through, or you could even sit outside." Miriam pushed the doors open and stepped outside. The sun was just setting behind the hills, infusing the vineyard with a mystical glow.

"How long did it take you to pick this spot?" asked Dan. "It's beautiful."

"Actually, not that long. I came here at sunset one day after our first meeting and the view blew me away. Between working between the vines and a spot for the car park, it really was the only place." Miriam shrugged. "I just worked the design to suit."

Dan walked out over the deck and leaned on the balustrade. "To be honest, I had this spot in mind myself. When I saw your first site sketch, I just knew you and I were on the same page. Nobody else I talked to seemed to understand my ideas. I decided to hire you and just let you go. You've nailed it. Absolutely everything is great."

"I've loved working here. Even when this was just an empty shell, waking up and looking over the mist-filled valley was magical. To be honest, I'm not looking forward to going back to my house." Miriam gave a short, hard laugh which raised Dan's eyebrows. "So, it's now yours. I've packed all my stuff in my car, and I'll be out of your hair. Thanks for the project. It's been fun."

He took a deep, happy breath and exhaled slowly. "And thank you for your expertise. Drop me your final invoice and I'll get it paid as soon as." He pushed himself upright and clapped his hands together. "Well, that's enough of the formal stuff. Would you like to stay for dinner? Nothing fancy, just a pasta all'amatriciana."

"That sounds nice. I was going to have pasta back at the motel, but a microwaved pre-cooked meal."

"Ugh. No. Just no. You are not eating that crap. Right, that's settled then. Let's move downstairs. I want to play in my kitchen."

"No worries. Shall we take the lift?"

"Yes, please." he chuckled. "I've never had a building with a lift. That's pretty cool."

Miriam pressed the call button and Dan heard a faint hum of the hydraulic pump turn on. "It's not the quickest thing, but it's very energy efficient..." she said as the chime eventually announced the lift's arrival.

"Ahh, all good. Tell you what, you jump out at the cafe and I'll head down to the car. I've got a couple of eskies with everything I need. I'll meet you back here." he said as Miriam opened the door to the cafe.

"No worries. Want me to do anything?"

"Yeah, nah. It's fine. Grab a seat and make yourself comfortable. It's time to relax."

Dan waved and closed the lift door. The image of Miriam's tanned bum cheek floated back up. He smiled to himself and slowly exhaled. He was sure she had that effect on all her clients. Good looks, great personality, and great style. She was very similar to Alessandra in a lot of respects.

"Well, we'd better have a chat with the family when you get back, Dan old son," he said to no one. "Can't keep stalling the inevitable."

He lifted the eskies with the ingredients out of the car and headed back. 'Huh, didn't check out the bedroom. Ah well, bet it's pretty good too. Plenty of time.'

He stepped out of the lift and looked around for Miriam. She was sitting on a barstool at the far end, looking over the valley. Her perfectly shaped backside and body reminded him of a sweet, succulent pear, just waiting to be enjoyed.

'Dan, settle.' he thought as he dropped the box with a loud thump. Miriam turned around and smiled - a brilliant, resolve melting smile.

"Okay," he hurriedly said, "Can you please grab two red wine glasses? I have a special wine for this occasion."

"Sure. One of yours?" Miriam picked up two glasses and placed them on the counter beside Dan. She flicked a glance at her client. Tall, short curly black hair, brown eyes, a rather large hooked nose that fitted his oval face. He wasn't a serious person and gave his trust freely. He also paid his bills on time with little or no arguments, which made him the perfect client.

"Yep. The first bottling from just after I bought it five years ago. There's a small patch of Shiraz grapes that's about eighty years old. The old guy I bought this block off said they were special. Let's see if he was right."

He pulled a waiter's friend out of his pocket and carefully pulled the cork from the bottle. The spicy aroma of the wine wafted out and caressed their noses. "Well, that's encouraging. I was worried it would smell like old socks." chuckled Dan as he poured a small amount into each glass. He swirled the wine in the glass and looked critically at it. "Nice deep mauve, touch of purple. Interesting. Our other vineyard is more crimson."

Miriam watched him, fascinated by the inspection. She liked wine, but the intensity of the inspection Dan was giving his work was something that she'd never seen before. She could understand it though as she gave her work the same critical eye. Swirling the glass, she took a small sip.

"Oh wow. Dan, this is beautiful. I... I don't know how to describe it. It's... just wow." she said in admiration.

Dan beamed and took a small sip himself. "Hmm, not too bad. Could do with a bit more ageing, maybe just a bit more breathing for the moment. Probably should have used some aged, not new French oak barrels. Pretty substantial and peppery. Good first effort. It'll go well with dinner. Like some more?"

"Ooh yes, please." Miriam held out her glass, which Dan half filled.

"Congratulations. You are the first person to taste the wine from the Colline Meridionali winery. Salute!" Dan said, smiling and clinking their glasses together.

"Cin cin, and thanks," Miriam replied, taking a deep sip.

Dan had a drink, then clapped his hands together and said, "That is breathing nicely. Right. Dinner." He started bustling around the kitchen, pulling out pans and various implements.

Miriam picked up her barstool and sat by the serving counter to watch him cook. She thought he looked really happy, humming away to himself as he pulled the ingredients out of the cooler.

"Did you bring everything down with you?" she asked curiously. She took a more substantial drink from her glass. The nose and the touch of the Shiraz on her palate was definitely improving with exposure to the air. It was an excellent wine.

"Hmm? Nah, yeah, pretty much everything. The guanciale came from a local guy who cures his own pork, mum made the pasta, the veggies came out of our garden, and the wine. Well, that's obvious..."

"Well, it's smelling pretty good already. So, does Alessandra like to cook?"

Dan paused slightly while dicing the onion, then resumed. "No, Aly's not a cook. She can, like, you know... She's also Italian, but she prefers someone else doing the work." He dropped the ingredients in the frying pan and started stirring.

Miriam wasn't sure why he hesitated. She was adept at reading people's body language and it seemed like Dan was holding something back. She gave an internal shrug and poured herself another glass. If they were having issues, then it wasn't any of her business.

Dan tasted the sauce, added a pinch of salt and turned down the heat. "Leave that for ten minutes, then cook the spaghetti. Where would you like to sit?" he asked, stepping around the counter.

"Overlooking the property I think. Shit!"

Dan grabbed her elbow as she stumbled off the stool. "Well, I'm glad you like my wine but I think you'd better think about staying here the night. You've knocked off the best part of the bottle."

Miriam straightened her skirt and looked at the Shiraz, surprised. Thinking about it, she had drunk three good size glasses. "Ummm. I didn't realise. That went down really well. Guess I'd better ease off."

Dan escorted her to a table overlooking his property. "I think you're past that. I've got an air mattress and sleeping bag in the car which I can use."

"Oh, I didn't show you the bedroom, did I?" Miriam said, plonking herself down in the chair. "King-sized bed, nice view, masculine. Bloody hell, that wine's done a number on me. Look, it's fine. I can stop now and drive myself to the motel. I've got a meeting in Bendigo tomorrow morning so I'll need to get going early."

Dan laughed as he headed back to the kitchen. "No, you're staying. I don't want to lose my liquor licence because I irresponsibly served alcohol before I even opened the doors."

"Fair enough. Thanks. I really want to see how it goes with your pasta. Water wouldn't really cut it."

"Nope. That's sacrilege. Two minutes to dinner." Dan replied, coming back to put another bottle on the table. "Don't drink it all before I get back."

Miriam laughed, "No, I'll take it easy. But you made a wonderful wine."

"Thanks. That means a lot." He quickly served up and carried the plates back to the table. "Buon appetito!"

They started eating, with some conversation about the new building and any tweaking that needed to be done.

"You've given it a sophisticated, airy feel, but how you did it with, what? Nearly 80% recycled materials? That's amazing." Dan said, pouring another glass.

"Nah, that's what I do. Always looking for an alternative use for things. Now this..." Miriam said, pointing at her pasta, "is amazing. I've had something similar, but it wasn't the same."

Dan laughed, "Yeah, it's probably the guanciale. Not that common. Pancetta yes, pig's cheek? Nooo... Nonna was very excited when she heard a guy outside of Scone was doing his own Italian small goods. She badgered him into making it, and it's now a big seller for him."

"Your Nonna seems to be a tough lady."

"True. What Nonna wants, she usually gets." Dan's voice trailed off, and he looked out the window.

"Alessandra?" asked Miriam.

"Hmm? Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Just an educated guess," she replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Dan cocked his head to one side and looked hard at Miriam. He put his fork down, took a sip of wine and a deep breath. "We're not really engaged. It's just a front for our grandparents."

"Oh. Well, I didn't expect that. So, why?"

Dan scratched his head and looked at the roof. "Well, our families are close. Have been for umpteen years. Our grandmothers got it into their heads that we would be the perfect match. So long story short, they announced our engagement just after Aly's eighteenth birthday, when we really didn't want to be anything but friends. But, for the sake of the families, we went along with it. We even announced we would be celibate and live away from each other until the wedding. Not really true, but Nonna was happy."

'I didn't think arranged marriages were a thing here. Geez. So you don't really like her or what?"

"Aly's wonderful, but she wants a city life. Lights, shops, restaurants, the buzz of a city. This," he said, pointing out the window, "bores her. She likes the wine, but not the country. So we attend family do's and make like a couple. Her Nonna passed last year, and mine is slipping away, so we can drop the facade soon. Hopefully."

"And the rest of the family?" asked Miriam.

"Oh, they knew what the grannies had cooked up. We all had a real blue when we were told about the arrangement, but we settled on this deal. I don't want to be callous, but it's gone on way longer than we thought it would. I'll be glad when it's over."