A Wine One
Ladies and gents – this one is about wine.
But not in the way you think. Some of you may know that I am a level 2 sommelier, and I love wine.
I somewhat jokingly say that I decided to begin my sommelier journey because my mom would make fun of my taste and claim I was pretentious. So as an act of rebellion – strange act that it was – I decided to earn my taste and snobbery. Every time she sends me a picture of a menu asking what wine she would like, I smirk. It’s like I’ve won a contest that never actually existed. But I know that she knows that I know.
And the hardest part about dry January is not hearing the “pop” of a new bottle and the “glug, glug, glug” of those early pours out of the bottle. Breaking dry January is like being reunited with an old love – picture the Hollywood type dramatic embrace that starts from opposite sides of a field.
I exaggerate.
But – there has always been something sophisticated about wine – the people drinking it, the conversations that take place over it, and the pace in which people consume it.
Years and years ago, I read this book – I Drink Therefore I Am: A Philosopher’s Guide to Wine – I remember very little about the book except the notion that the height of all conversation and the joy of living takes place over a $125 bottle of wine. The author, Roger Scruton, says many other smart things, and maybe I’ll read it again to remember.
He believes that good wine must accompany good conversation, and I completely agree. I feel like a good wine is cheated if it does not accompany a good conversation.
The more I’ve learned about wine, the more I respect it – the process, the aging, the harvesting, the actual winemaking. Wine tells a story. Old world wines (my favorite) tell a totally different story than new world wines.
And I think the story the wine is telling makes its way into your conversation. Whether you realize it or not, your attitude, countenance, and overall demeanor is influenced by the wine you’re drinking. When you take a sip of a beautifully dimensional Chateauneuf Du Pape with notes of dark fruits, spice, and leather, it’s virtually impossible to ignore the velvet combination that is evolving in your mouth – I dare anyone to not have that wine affect them. Take a pause, savor the moment, and acknowledge the magic of that first sip.
Nothing compares to it.
Wine is not the end. I actually think it is the beginning. Wine makes you slow down. Wine may even encourage a reflective moment or two, because if you’re anything like me, it is so hard to slow down. Nothing in my day gives way to slowing down. I am always doing 2 or 3 things at once.
Wine doesn’t allow for that. In fact, Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.”
Or…maybe it’s just something nice to drink at the end of the day.
Be amused,
