When I think of wines, I think of romance and sophistication. In a romantic candle light dinner, whether it’s by myself or with the one I love, a glass of wine completes the picture for me. When I see the candle light, a glass of wine, and the bottle resting on the table, all of a sudden the world around me seems to slow down just a little, and my attention is turned to the moment. I begin to wonder what dish am I having and what wine will go with it. If it’s a good dish like seared duck breast with tourne potatoes, topped with a duck anjou sauce, I think about the type of wines that I will have with this dish. “Do I want red or white?” This is the first question that I ask myself. Then I ask if it’s going to be red: “What will it be; Pinot Noir, Merlot, etc..?” If it’s white: “What will it be; Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, etc..?” After all this, I just throw it all up in the air and say: “What the heck. I’m just going to experiment with this.” And so, I find wines to be fun.
Wine is sophisticated because there are a lot of things to talk about in a glass. I can talk about the grapes, where it’s grown, and how it was made. Is it a blend of different grapes, or is it one varietal? Was it aged in oak barrels or stainless steel tanks? I can go on and on about this, but what is more important is answering the one question: “How does it taste?” This question is very subjective; different people taste things differently. So, there is no right answer to this question. It’s a matter of “How does it taste to me?” or “How does it taste to you?”
Drinking wine is fun. It’s experimental and, most importantly, it’s whatever you like to drink. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. There are people who use their knowledge of wine to intimidate others as though others are not sophisticated enough to drink a glass of wine. These people like to use big wine lingos mostly to show off. You have no idea what they are saying, and so you start to turn away from wine. This is the unfortunate circumstance of the wine world. Wine makers make their wines in a style that they like, and they hope that you would like it, too. Sometimes, this is not always the case. The wine maker may love their wine, and you or I might not like it. That’s perfectly okay. Don’t be afraid to not like a particular wine or group of wines.
To those who use their knowledge of wine to show off or to intimidate others, I say “blah, blah, blah” to them, and I will drink what I like. I hope that you will, too. Drinking wine is a journey, and it’s a fun one filled with learning and experimenting. So have fun and drink what you like.
-que ©2013
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