ABSTRACT
I apply Utopiyin and Utopiyang (Le Guin 2016 [1989]) optics to an analysis of artisanal and boutique winemaking in New Zealand and in doing so demonstrate that genuine utopias, of which persistent striving for ‘better’ is a hallmark and in which ‘good’ for the many (as opposed to the few) are defining ideals, can exist in plain-sight. Given their inherently processual, and consequently ephemeral or constantly terminating natures, many utopias – like fine wines – exist everywhere and never. Not surprisingly therefore they are tethered to the truth claims, and the seemingly ‘objective’, grounded or natural solidities, of human nature and terroir respectively. The Utopiyang is rational, linear, systematic, proprietorial, masculine and fixated on social differentiation and hierarchy. Many Utopiyang aspects are evident in contemporary wine cultures, including the agentic, reflexive individualism of the ‘cult of the winemaker’; the productionist, innovative, science-driven, instrumental rationality of New World winemaking; the orderly aesthetic central to the productionist picturesque; and the social distinctions and stratifications of metro-rurality. By contrast the Utopiyin is feminine, organic, processual, socio-centric and dedicated to constant imaginings and innovative pursuits of ‘better’. Again, many Utopiyin aspects are evident, including winemakers’ dedication to producing quality wines and associated contra-productionist practices; minimal interventionist, more hands-on, serendipitous, and collaborative winemaking; the celebration of wine ephemerality and diversity as integral to wine’s jouissance; and the widespread ethos of hospitality and gifting. Many Utopiyin attributes are also components of Utopiyang winemaking and it can appear almost impossible to disentangle these contrasting utopian modalities. I argue most winemakers hegemonically believe the Utopiyang – especially the market-based demands of commodity wine production – are somehow naturalized, represent an apex of human endeavour, and therefore necessarily underpin and enable the pursuit of the Utopiyin.
