Bookworm, Issue 17
The Book: Why Fish Don’t Exist by Lulu Miller
Following a crushing breakup, author Lulu Miller can barely carry on after every attempt to repair the relationship fails. It’s then that she recalls an anecdote about a man who might provide guidance. Late-nineteenth-century scientist David Starr Jordan not only persevered, he thrived, in the face of misfortune. But Miller’s inquiry into his life reveals some surprises and contradictions – unveiling a man who upends her expectations (and ours).
I’ve paired with this book with a wine that challenges assumptions, too. In this case, it’s the wine industry’s bias against non-European grape vine species. American and hybrid varieties are commonly dismissed as unsuitable for fine wine production, but open-minded winemakers are proving otherwise.
Why Fish Don’t Exist is a candid memoir about Miller’s search for meaning in life, and it’s a fascinating biography of a man driven to understand and order the universe. It’s a one-of-a-kind novel – weaving together science, belief, wonderment at the natural world, a search for truth, and inevitably, human imperfection. But mostly, it’s an invitation from the author, an award-winning science journalist, to question and be curious about the world and our place in it.
David Starr Jordan is a taxonomist who in 1891, at age 40, becomes Stanford University’s first president. Taxonomy, in the natural sciences, involves the identification and classification of organisms; it’s a human invention to rank the world’s plants and animals. From childhood, Jordan is fascinated with nature – charting the stars and sketching wildflowers – in an attempt to “demystify the earth.” This impulse follows him into adulthood as he travels the world collecting fish and hoping to uncover evolutionary relationships.
When first a fire and then an earthquake destroy Jordan’s fish specimens (his life’s work), he doesn’t give up but rather presses on. Miller wonders, “(W)hat exactly was he saying to spur himself on, to avoid being crushed under the futility of it all?” And how, when faced with despair, might she do the same? This book is that enlightening investigation – in which Miller contemplates her predicament and looks to Jordan’s life and writings for answers.
The author’s tone is conversational, and the entire book reads as if a smart and funny friend is telling an astonishing tale. Miller’s writing remains approachable while she digs into some serious subjects, like evolution, clinical psychology and self-delusion, and eugenics. And every chapter is introduced with a moody illustration by artist Kate Samworth, who uses a sewing needle “scratchboard” technique to create each intricate etching. They’re black and white, but little else is in this story.
Jordan possesses abundant self-confidence, but the “messy truth of nature” is visible in the opposing forces at work in his life – chaos and order, intelligence and intuition, doubt and certainty, and loss and hope. His story is fascinating, as is the explanation of Why Fish Don’t Exist, and both serve as cautionary reminders to keep an open mind. As Miller suggests, “If fish don’t exist, what else don’t we know about our world?”
While this is a science-centric book, it’s also a human story, and it tugs hard at our hearts. Expect to experience wonder, surprise, sadness, outrage, and even, a desire for vengeance. But more than anything, be encouraged as Miller discovers how each human life does indeed matter.
The Wine: 7 Vines Vineyard, Frontenac Blanc, Minnesota, 2020 $40
This wine is medium gold with medium (+) intensity on the nose featuring aromas of pineapple, mango, ripe yellow peach, dried apricot, dried banana, ripe yellow apple, baked pear crisp, honey, vanilla, butterscotch, and toasted nuts.
The wine is dry with medium (+) acidity and medium (+) body. It has high alcohol at 14.6% ABV. On the palate, it has medium (+) intensity with flavors that mirror the nose; however, the flavor character is more fresh and less sweet and ripe. It has a medium (+) finish.
This wine is rich, concentrated, complex – and beautifully refreshing. While oak aging is evident, it doesn’t interfere with the pleasant fruit flavors.
The wine is made from 100% estate-grown Frontenac Blanc. (Frontenac Blanc is a genetic mutation of Frontenac Noir, a cold-hardy hybrid vine developed at the University of Minnesota.) These grapes were hand-picked and whole-cluster pressed. The wine was fermented in stainless steel, where it underwent malolactic fermentation, and then it was aged in American oak for 12 months.
7 Vines is a family-owned vineyard and winery in Dellwood, Minn. They farm 10 acres of cold-hardy hybrid vines, but also make wines from vinifera grapes purchased in California. I want to thank my friend Geneva, a viticulturist and assistant winemaker at 7 Vines, for this fabulous recommendation.
This wine is available in the St. Paul/Minneapolis area (visit the 7 Vines website for store locations), but if you don’t live nearby, make an effort to try a different hybrid wine. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Why the pairing works:
We’re all familiar with Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the fine wines made around the world from these European Vitis vinifera vines. But what about Frontenac Blanc, Marquette, Vidal or La Crescent? You’re unlikely to find them on the wine list at your favorite restaurant or even on the shelf at your local liquor store.
These grapes are just a few of many hybrid varieties – created by breeding two different vine species, generally a vinifera variety and a native American vine, such as Vitis labrusca or Vitis aestivalis. In the late 19th century, as phylloxera ravaged Europe’s vineyards, hybrids became an important source of disease-resistant rootstock; however, they were considered “poorly suited to winemaking.”
But what if this commonly-held belief is wrong? Today, with careful handling in the vineyard and in the winery, hybrids are winning over skeptical wine professionals and curious consumers alike. They’re upending expectations, just as Lulu Miller does in Why Fish Don’t Exist.
Once dismissed for their “unattractive flavours,” hybrids are now made into wines that rival vinifera varieties in blind tastings. And their resilience in the face of a changing climate and continued disease pressure makes them attractive to producers not just in the United States, but around the world.
There are a number of important reasons to keep an open mind about hybrid vines.
Hybrids contribute to diversity, both in the vineyard and on our palates.
Hybrids are disease resistant, so fewer sprays are necessary to control fungi like downy and powdery mildews. Growers can farm more sustainably.
Hybrids are hardy and can withstand cold winters in Vermont or Minnesota and very humid conditions in places like North Carolina. This provides new opportunities for underrepresented people who might be priced out of traditional growing regions.
According to a VinePair article published in 2020, 98 percent of all wine consumed comes from vinifera vines. Furthermore, most of that wine is made from 15 of the most popular grape varietals. While there’s comfort in familiarity, there’s also a lot of “sameness.”
Miller’s novel, with its unexpected plot twists and surprising revelations, reminds us how much we don’t know about our world. But if we cultivate a curious attitude, we’ll be more likely to learn. And, personally, I always want to know more about the wine in my glass.