Science Fiction?

I want to make perfume! My hero of lifestyle design, Ralph Lauren, has multiple, successful lines. Every celeb of the moment has his/her 15 minutes of fragrance fame, so why shouldn’t Red House have a scent that reflects the good life in Napa? This is a thought I’ve had for months and want to explore further – starting in my garage. Stranger things have happened, right? The problem is that while I have the right instincts and artistic flair, I have no skills in hard science whatsoever. I know that an acid differs from a base and that’s about it. And despite a love of wine and its components, I haven’t had the best of luck at wine blending parties, tending to go through the motions and deferring to whoever knows what they are doing. If I am going to create a scent that represents the wine country elegance of Red House and not the contents of a backyard compost I need to gather a team of biophysicists and chemical engineers to carefully consider every detail, and to make sure that I don’t give in to my inclinations and make the dominant note Cabernet (!). But now is not the time for assembling a research laboratory full of experts so I’ll start with a little low budget experimentation and at least learn what I like.

This much I know. Napa is a place of many inspirations, a multi-sensorial experience. The food and wine come to mind first of course, the enjoyment enhanced by a mis-en-scène of glorious vineyards, mountains and valleys. The textures and colors combine with climate of abundant sunlight and cool nights to create the terroir. All I have to do is distill this down (!). Oh, but I won’t be done yet - I must then add a bit of European attitude – the casual but refined approach to life that led to the creation of Red House itself. What IS this attitude? A whiff of champagne and suntan lotion? Sea spray and citrus? As soon as I figure that out I’ll have my scent. Then I guess it’s sourcing, production, packaging and marketing. An army of lawyers to add to the scientists – yikes! I have no idea what I’m doing! At least I’m not wasting money. Yet.

My exploration has already started with hunting and gathering of essences. Rose is one of the most predominant and intensely scented flowers here and I know I want to include it. I’ve got dried petals and oils of multiple varieties, most of which smell exactly the same to my under-trained nose. My other must-include element is the woodsy and aromatic eucalyptus. I’ve collected bags of bark and leaves. It’s heavenly – I should make it into a mattress! Lavender has to be involved. Bay leaf, maybe? And mustard is beautiful in the spring – a sea of yellow everywhere. To me it represents the ” joie de vivre” of Red House, though I’m not sure any form of mustard belongs in cologne. I’ll need something earthy for the terroir – maybe some wild mushroom? Right now, my collection is piling up on Michael’s workbench. Soon, I’ll zip myself into an asbestos suit, gloves and goggles with my tongs and beakers and hot plates and start cooking! How can fine art fail to follow?