Pierrot, the original sad clown, is a much loved character of European
pantomime. Forever chasing an impossible dream, Pierrot is in love with the
beautiful Columbine who usually breaks his heart and runs off with
Harlequin, leaving Pierrot heartbroken and wistful, wiping a tear from his
eye, but never quite crushing his naively hopeful spirit.
My family name, Peterkin, originally comes from Scotland and means: "Son
of Peter" or "Little Peter" or "Son of the Rock". The French equivalent is
Pierrot. (We dropped the 't' as it may have been pronounced by some as
'Pierre-rot'.)
When I planted the first grapevines the soil was covered in rock and it was
difficult and expensive and quite a struggle to establish the vineyard and only
a part tragic, part comic romantic character with a surname of Peterkin
would have persisted.
There is also more than a touch of this character in our winemaking, where
we are always striving for elusive perfection.
-Mike Peterkin