Once upon a time there were two brothers, Jacques and Pierre. Jacques was diligent and studious. Pierre was lazy and inattentive. Each brother wanted to start a vineyard to grow grapes for wine making.
The diligent brother, Jacques, studied farming and wine making. He developed a good knowledge of how to grow the best grapes for wine. Pierre, the lazy brother, did not bother to learn anything about growing grapes and had no knowledge of wine beyond the fact that he liked to drink it.
When Jacques searched for a location for his vineyard, he looked for places that had the right kind of soil, the right amount of rainfall, the right kind of weather. He knew the correct way to plant and cultivate his grapes and when to harvest them.
Pierre, on the other hand, knew nothing of the procedures and methods of grape cultivation. For his vineyard, he chose the cheapest land he could find. It turned out the soil and rainfall were not good for grape production. He planted his seeds willy-nilly and did little cultivation.
When Jacques harvested his grapes, they were plump and sweet. But the grapes from Pierre’s vineyard were shriveled and sour. Both Jacques and Pierre’s grapes were pressed, fermented and aged. The wine was bottled and corked.
Finally, the day came to taste the wine from both brothers’ vineyards. Naturally, Jacques’s wine was sweet and delicious. Lazy Pierre’s wine was sour and bitter.
Then Pierre said to his brother, “Brother Jacques, my wine is just as good as yours!”
Jacques was surprised. “Brother Pierre, how can you say your wine is just as good as mine? My wine is sweet and delicious. Your wine is sour and bitter. Everyone that drinks it wants to spit it out. It is so awful, even the cat won’t drink it!”
Pierre answered, “That may be so, bother Jacques. But your vineyard had the best soil, the best rainfall and the best weather. You used the best methods for cultivating grapes. If my vineyard had those benefits, my wine would taste as good as yours, if not better.”
Jacques responded, “That is true, brother Pierre. Enjoy your fine wine for the next year.”
So Lazy Pierre felt very satisfied with himself and drank his bitter wine all the next year. And there was plenty of it, too, because no one else would drink any of it.
Source: unknown
