Fall is a peculiar time for a lot of us. While homework builds up, our service industry jobs get busier. The days get cold, all the leaves die and we realize we have little money for Christmas presents and no special someone to buy them for again this year. It’s a yearly reminder that life must end, but like the leaves, we have a Spring to look forward to with its rejuvenation – death to life.

Before Spring arrives, however, we must get through the Fall. If we let it be all homework and sulking, we’ll miss some of the most beautiful times of the year.

A few weeks ago, I heard about Erv Langan and his winery, Keltoi. Just a few miles north of Joplin, Erv harvests a yearly yield of grapes and produces hundreds of bottles filled with his own recipes. I had to visit.

Erv showed me around his beautiful vineyard with care. He obviously loves his grapes and his land. He seems to appreciate every memory the property has given him, from the devastating ice storms that destroyed many of his vines to the times of celebration when he shared wines with friends in front of a crackling fire.

He showed me the process of winemaking, sharing his passion for it. I stared into the creek on the backside of his property from the porch of a cabin built by his wife and her 87-year-old father. Erv even let me sample his wines. Each wine had a story and a name specific to that story. Biddy Early, 6th Knight, Nine Ladies, Irish Raindrops – all carefully named by Erv and his wife and derived from some memory from their lives together. Coincidence or not, my favorite wine was Autumn Memories.

Keltoi reminded me of that: Autumn is a time of memories. Just like a glass of wine is a postmortem reflection on the lives of a few grapes, so are the piles of dried up leaves a glimpse of the many Springs those trees have seen. This Fall, I appreciate my family, strong in the face of opposition, and my friends, ever loyal to their hearts and to me.

I suggest you all take a trip to Keltoi Vineyard and Winery this Fall. Sample the delicious wines and reflect. In the meantime, find out more about Erv and his wines, including a wine tasting video, at thechartonline.com.