Trading in her high heels for work boots, going from fashion photographer to grape farmer, may be the biggest thing I have ever asked my wife to do. Sure, she was willing to sell everything and go around the world for eight years, but this is a whole new type of adventure, one with a whole lot more dirt.

For some 30 years we lived and worked in the glitzy ski town, Aspen, Colorado. Even as worker bees we fit right in. She in fashion, me in food and wine. We dressed and fed the who's who and in between we traveled. Aspen is a seasonal town, and so when the seasons were "off" so were we. Off to destinations around the globe. Alternating between vineyards and beaches, we managed to see a healthy percentage of the world.

Jan in her farmer finery. Check out those orange gloves!

In 2008 we saw the writing on the wall, and we sold our condo moments before the housing bubble burst. We availed ourselves of the semi mythical RTW airline fares and spent 365 days circumnavigating the planet. At the end of it we settled in Argentina to do some consulting and drink some wine.

Argentina was about parties, wine tasting, blending trials in the lab. We didn't get into the vineyards much, except to explain the basics to the tourists. We wore brand name loafers and we worked sensible hours. There was a great deal more wine than grapes involved in the whole affair, and the tiny suitcases that contained all of our worldly possessions held not a scrap of what the Hawaiian's refer to as "boro boroz", clothes appropriate for getting dirty.

There are plenty of pictures of me, but photos of Jan, the photographer, are rare.

Argentina was the lap of luxury compared to many places we had been, and living was easy, too easy. Searching for a greater challenge, but not too much of a challenge, we headed for Kuala Lumpur. Situated in the heart of Southeast Asia, the capital of Malaysia was the ideal spot. It has more Armani and Tiffany's than anywhere outside of Dubai. They speak English, and while there is a high duty on it, wine is plentiful and the food is varied and generally good.

Here we made our home, fully intending to stay for years. Travel was cheap and so our side trips took us to Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. There were plenty of expats to pay what I was asking for my 7 course wine dinners, and a few locals were even willing to move outside their comfort zone for something special.

We were not looking for work, we certainly were not looking to move back to the US. It would turn out it was looking for us.

Even farmers need electrical skills

An opportunity came along that we could not ignore, and when it was offered, we could not refuse. A small winery in Lake County, CA was looking for someone with my unusual skill set, computers, wine, food, and management, to join the team. Discussions and a roller coaster ride of events took place before the deal was done. Suddenly, we were leaving Asia and headed for the Golden State.

Eight years is a goodly length of time to be away from the country you grew up in. Everything was at once both familiar and new. The intervening years had seen the rise of the smartphone, and the resulting technological boom that had accompanied it. Plenty of other culture shocks would keep us shaking our heads for weeks to come. The very fact that you can buy anything and have it delivered in two days is something you take for granted when you live in the US.

That we needed to augment our wardrobes became instantly apparent. We took a quick jaunt out to Aspen to see if any of our stuff still existed, most of it having been sold or donated. We were assured that there was little left. While we ended up discovering that there was much more there than would fit in our car, little of it prepared us for what was to come.

We had our tailored suits and dresses from Thailand, we had fine clothes from Italy, we, especially my wife, had a collection of shoes that she had missed most of all. All well received, but thrown in the back of our closet as reality came crashing down.

Our first visit to the vineyards and a description of what was to come made us painfully aware of our wardrobes, especially our shoes. With a nod to the inevitable we set out on our least glamorous shopping adventure, ever. Work boots were on the top of the list, and were begrudgingly procured. Jeans, t-shirts and other garments that could in good conscience be dirtied were our prey, and hunt them we did.

The photos my wife is taking tend more towards foliage than fashion. Grapes have replaced models or even worldly architecture. There will be seven course wine dinners, but not until long after the grapes are planted in the last few lots. We will be entertaining and welcoming guests, but not until well past the harvest. We may rarely get a chance to wear our finery, but we are decked out in fresh air, rolling hills of verdant vines, and the potential for a future full of fine wine and the friendly faces of each of you as you come to visit.

Stephen Reiss, wine educator and writer, and his wife, Famed Photographer Janet Engelhard have taken up residence at Stonehouse Cellars (dot com) to make wine, hosts guests (there are rooms to stay in) and enjoy a new, if dustier, adventure. Visit us on line, follow us on almost every form of social media (links on the website) and come early 2017 visit us in Clearlake Oaks, about an hour north of the Napa Valley.