Spanish Wine over Porter... An Early 19th Century International Story Part 1
Susan, Judge Knight's wife was already feeling lonely anticipating her husband's business trip to Boston this week. Susan loved when business was good at the country store and trips to the city meant
prosperity for them, but she didn't like her husband being away on these necessary travels. "Husband, please hurry home! " said Susan knowing that no matter how long it took him it would still be too long. Judge Knight was actually looking forward to this trip, " I can't put my finger on it, but this trip will be different from any of my trips" whispered to himself as he was slowly falling asleep.
The Sturbridge storekeeper had planned to stay at his regular inn but Mr. San Miguel, a Spaniard businessman had upgraded his accommodations to the luxurious Tremont House. Mr. San Miguel, an importer of olive oil and Garnacha wine from Aragón, Spain was eager to meet Judge Knight.
Judge Knight was hoping to bring something different and exotic to his store and this Spanish wine might have just the right European flair he was looking for. Judge Knight had written numerous letters to the Spaniard and was eager to meet him. He found Mr. San Miguel to be particularly interesting and different then anyone he had ever come across. An attorney who speaks 5 languages, travels the world and has a pet monkey named Sancho Panza, named after some character from Don Quixote was certainly an intriguing character.
Mr. San Miguel wasn't traveling alone, he had his trusty Caribbean employee Luis Angel accompanying him on this trip. Luis Angel knew the oil olive and wine business inside out but his passion was in making his unique silky rum with a touch of olive oil. Little did Luis Angel know that his boss had big New England plans for him.
Judge Knight was tired from the long and bumpy stagecoach ride and settled in his room at the Tremont House, a beautifully designed neoclassic hotel at the corner of Tremont and Beacon streets. This hotel was designed in 1829 by Isaiah Rogers and was the first to have indoor plumbing, free soap and locked rooms for their guests. Judge Knight planned to get up early the next morning and sell all the items he had collected from his customers like cheese and butter before meeting Mr. San Miguel at the Green Dragon Tavern.
He was expecting to have a great morning and he was right, business was good and he sold everything he brought with him. He went back to his room and wrote his wife a letter where he sketched a pair of shoes, and asked "Wife, what do you think about these shoes for Emma's birthday?" Judge Knight loved his daughter Emma and wanted to do something special for her after a difficult year. She had become very sick from working in bad conditions at the mills at Lowell, Massachusetts. She couldn't work anymore but had a connection as a contributor to the Lowell Offerings future poems and essays.
Shoe sketch in letter to Susan from Asa Knight
It was time to meet the Spaniard so he went down to the tavern. "I should have no problem making Mr. San Miguel out from the crowd." Just as he was finishing that thought, two tall slender men with long black hair and dressed all in black walked in the tavern. To Judge Knight’s surprise Mr. San Miguel had Sancho Panza sitting on his right shoulder. This is not something you see every day in rural New England, but one thing is for sure you never know what you will encounter in Boston or New York.
Mr. San Miguel and his right-hand man both spoke fluent English but they had a particular way of speaking that was very amusing to our New England storekeeper. They exchanged business and family stories and discussed the purchasing of wine and olive oil. The conversation between the new-found friends felt like an old friendship. They talked for hours navigating through cultural differences and mutual admiration for each other. They had time, curiosity and a connection that grew just as much as the bar tab, and the ales ( Porter to be exact) seemed to be the night's elixir and their ambassador. Mr. San Miguel got closer to Judge Knight as he said “I have a deal of a lifetime for you!" The next 20 minutes changed Asa Knight’s life, his family’s life and Sturbridge in a way no one could have ever imagined.
This is a historical fictional story with some actual facts.
