Wine is one of the most peculiar, particular substances ever invented by humans. Try as winemakers do to control and perfect it, so much of its production is beyond their control: Grapes are as finicky as plants come. Weather is unpredictable. Soil and geography exist independently of humans and where we choose to work and live.

And yet, by growing simple grapes in some of the most inhospitable soils in some of the most unforgiving places on Earth, we create the most complex, most beautiful beverages.

Similarly, as humans, we stress. We toil. We often work against ourselves and against each other. We must resolve issues given to us by families we never chose. We must yield to authority we often do not agree with or choose. We must invent tools and means to overcome nature. We often lose.

Like wine, the best humanity has to offer is often born of and must learn to overcome chaos.

Yet, like wine, sometimes the greatest among us survive the worst conditions. These men and woman beat the odds so often stacked against them. They write the works of literature that last the ages. They compose the symphonies and sonatas humankind will listen to centuries in the future. They invent the most indispensable tools. They change how we live. They enrich our lives. Like the world’s finest wines, we revere them. We remember them. The best humanity has to create and to offer is often born of chaos.