I'm listening to some old school records, Sarah Vaughn circa 1940's and 1950's. It's a cool October rainy night in Toronto and my boyfriend is working late. Candles are lit, wine is in the decanter and I've got that mellow vibe. I've got a 2014 Chateau De Segure, Fitou, Midi (South of France) decanting as I write. I like this wine because it's smooth, pleasant and warming like a thin blanket. It's only a Monday and I don't have a tailored meal so breaking out a bigger wine in both complexity and price just isn't my style.
Why do you like wine?
I enjoy sipping wine with friends or family because I feel it lowers our guards and allows us to connect better. I also love some alone time, just a chill record and a glass to place my mind at rest. Reading Natalie Maclean's wine book helped me think of wine in a more personable way other than simply a bunch of descriptors and points system. Natalie talks about wine as part of her life experiences from the bottle she had on her first few dates with her now husband, the romantic getaways they shared together up north with only the sound of rain on their metal roof and a glass of wine in each other's hands. I feel in the wine world people can get caught up on the technical side of wine as in how much French oak, how long has it been aged, how long can it age, what was the climate like, the soil...you get the picture. What about how it makes you feel?
One thing I challenge you to do, those who are reading this, think not about the descriptors, location, age or even price of your wine but the experience you'll have with your next bottle. Think about how much work went into making your very own bottle. The grape growers, the harvesters, the winemakers, the shippers, the salespeople who managed to make this next bottle uniquely yours. Will you sip it alone while blogging? Perhaps after a rough day at the office and a nice bubble bath? How about a meal you are preparing for your family to share together? Perhaps just you and your special someone and the possible sex you'll have? The fight you'll have? Wine like life is tumultuous at times but always real. I think if people do Yoga to balance their mind and soul why can't a nice bottle of wine do the same thing?
To me, wine is pleasure, a challenge, an adventure and like a photograph something that can help capture a moment. Most of my wine is simply sitting waiting to be opened with the memories not yet created. I have a few bottles reserved for some upcoming special occasions like NYE, when Joseph get's his next acting gig and a few others. Most bottles are simply waiting to capture a moment I don't see coming yet. I think perhaps people should consider how wine makes you feel as opposed to debating raspberry or blackberry notes. Think about it next time you open your uniquely own bottle of wine.
Check out the 2014 Tapiz Alta Collection, Malbec, Argentina. I like this wine not because of it's price of $19.95, nor its delightful fruit but for how smooth this wine is. Try it with a fillet mignon and fingerling potatoes.
Check out the 2004 Faustino Gran Reserva, Rioja, Spain. This is an excellent opportunity to sip a well aged and well matured superb wine from Rioja because even at $34.95 it offers great value. This wine deserves the best steak money can buy on the BBQ served medium rare. This Tempranillo-based blend will deliver a punch from a velvet glove so let it breathe a little.
Check out the 2013 Coyam, Colchagua Valley, Chile. This Syrah-based blend will offer something to enjoy on a cooler evening for $29.95. I would consider a nice roast with this one and perhaps toss a glass in to help make the best meat drippings based gravy you've ever had.
Last but not least, 2012 Sokol Blosser, Pinot Noir, Dundee Hills, Willamette Valley, Oregon. They say that Pinot Noir is very capable of adapting its flavor profile to how and where it's grown. The Terroir of the Dundee Hills in the Willamette Valley is rainy, cool and soil so infertile that only grapes can grow. This smooth sipper can be decanted and sipped by itself. Poorly made Pinot Noir taste like Pinot Noir, well made Pinot Noir taste like the Terroir of its birthplace. If you are patient you'll taste the terroir of the Willamette, those cool rainy slopes for a cool evening in Toronto at $35.95.
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Happy Sipping,
Ryan
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