Bleasdale Wine, Blaisdell Connections and Family Values

Good wine, good scotch, good cheese and a good cup of tea can all be enjoyed for the same reasons: bouquet, flavor on the tongue, and the after taste.  If you are in to gustatory fore play and after glow, these are the items you are going for.  Closet hedonists that I am, I love all four.

            When I made it known that we were going to Australia, a member of the Blaisdell Family Association reminded me that there is a Bleasdale Winery in South Australia.  Whether you spell the name Bleasdale, Blaisdell, or any of its other configurations, you are all part of my mother’s tribe from the Lancashire area of England.  While we undoubtedly started out as pagans (there is a Stonehenge type circle made of logs near the town of Bleas Dale) the family managed to acquire the predominant religion(s) of England.  Several of my ancestors became involved in the Puritan movement and were recruited by Richard Mather to join him in his exodus to the newly formed colonies of North America.  My forebear, Ralph Blaisdell, came to America on August 14, 1635, landing at Pemaquid, Maine. 

The Blaisdells have become a far flung and fecund lot, at least one of them, getting as far as Australia.

            The Bleasdale Winery in Langhorne Creek (about an hour west of Adelaide) was not, however, started by one of my kin.  It was begun by Mr. Frank Potts, in 1850.  He named the winery after Rev. John Ignatius Bleasdale, D.D. whose state goal was, “…to see Victorians, a healthy, sober, jolly, wine-drinking population.”  While generally in favor of abstinence, Bleasdale considered wine to be good for both body and soul. 

The good reverend was born in Lancashire, spent considerable time in Portugal, and, “…possessed an intimate knowledge of viticulture.”  He made several trips to the lush wine growing regions around Adelaide and encourage the scientific production of grapes for wine.  Coming from Portugal, Bleasdale also would have had intimate knowledge of the fortified wines in which Potts first specialized.  They were colleagues, if not friends.

             Rev. Bleasdale was part of that mid-century group of theologians who steeped themselves in the natural sciences.  Seeing no conflict between science, which explains the natural world, and theology, which defines the ecclesiastical world, John Ignatius worked hard to understand both.  He was a popular writer and lecturer on scientific topics.  He was a founding member of the Melbourne Microscopical Society, the Geographical and Linnean Societies and worked to create school curriculums that included the study of chemistry and mineralogy.

            The Reverend would have loved the 18 year old Rare Tawny Port that I tasted at the Bleasdale Winery.  Tom and I tried an entire flight of wine and port and they were all exceptionally good.  A Frank Potts descendant still owns the winery.  He and I chatted at length, loving the family connections that brought this Yankee and that Aussie together.   

            Family ties are good that way.  I realize we are all free standing individuals.  Nobody gets to take credit for their DNA, only what they do with it.  But knowing where you come from gives you a sense of connection with the past and helps shape what you want to contribute to the future.  I do know that families come in all shapes and sizes, but the best of them have a few things in common.  First, they love being a family.  They recognize a moral authority greater than themselves.  They have both pride and humility.  They know the difference between ambition and envy.  They work, play and live as a team.  Finally, they remember the past while imagining the future. 

            Families keep the faith.