Through a friend's eyes

Long before we opened the store, we had the chance to spend some great time getting to know wine countries around the world. We visited Alsace, the Rhone Valley and Beaune in Bugundy, Tuscany and Venice. We visited Santa Barbara wine country, Napa and the Central Coast, all in California, and our love of Sonoma Valley led us to living there for 10 years! Since opening the shop, we have explored many of the wine grape growing regions of the Northwest. Every experience has left a lasting and happy memory.

Traveling through all of these regions the physical beauty is addictive. The personal time spent with winemakers and growers has resulted in friendships that endure, and causes us to miss "wine country" in such a way that it is a matter of when, not if, that we will return to visit again. Owning a retail shop, the time to get away - especially for the longer trips to Europe and other continents - means it might take some time, but we know we will get there.

We have learned over the nearly eight years we have had the shop that one of the great "fixes" for our time among the vines is to see it through a friend's eyes. Short of walking the streets of Beaune, or sitting at a winery in Alsace, the next best thing has been to experience a friend's first trip to France, where they toured the areas we hold dear. Social media is great for these vicarious escapes, coupled with text messages and emails with pictures of close friends surrounded by vineyards and shots of extraordinary wine lists is truly "the next best thing to being there."

Our friends who traveled to France recently with some very experienced friends who doubled as tour guides gave us the joy of that experience. They enjoyed themselves tremendously. It was even more gratifying for us witnessing their travels remotely, since we had talked France up so much. This was not without risk as our friends were "90 percent certain they would not like France." Much of their trip was spent in the South of France. They spent time in one of the walled villages of Provence which is one of the great wine experiences to be had anywhere in the world. This mystical land of Mourvedre and mistral winds is charming beyond words and the seat of such storied producers as Domaine Tempier. A friend once said to us "being in Provence, you can live the rest of your life on bread good cheese, olive oil and great wine." We concur. Apparently our friends on their inaugural trip did too, based on the pictures.

They also visited the Hermitage Hill. Hermitage located in the Northern Rhone Valley is known for producing some of the great Syrah and white Rhone blends in France. The region is home to the Chave Domaine. Chave Hermitage is some of the most expensive and sought-after wine in the world, and is rarely seen in the states. We know the wine and have tasted it a couple of times, it is extraordinary. After texting back and forth with our good friends, they found both the Chave Hermitage Blanc and Rouge on wine lists, much better priced in France than here, and while they resisted the temptation to give it a role, they were excited to have the inside scoop on such a notable bottle. For us, we had the opportunity to peruse some pretty cool wine lists loaded with names we rarely see, but still long for.

Another day trip took them to the town and appellation of Rully in Burgundy. Renowned for producing some of the best Chardonnay in the world, Rully is also known for producing scant quantities of Aligote, a lesser known and produced white varietal. It represents only about five percent of the white wine production in Burgundy. We saw great pictures from the town of Rully and stories of wonderful lunches with locals enjoying the wine of the region. It could only have been better had we been there ourselves.

We encourage all wine consumers to take the chance to go to wine country, and if you can, make the big trip to some of the old world appellations of France and Italy. When friends go later, you will be able to relive these monumental experiences through their eyes. It won't be quite the same as the first time you experienced it, but it will freshen the memories and put a smile on your face. It sure put one on ours!

If there is a topic you would like to read about, or if you have questions on wine, you can email George@thedinnerpartyshop.com, or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d'Alene Press.

George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and tabletop decor shop by Costco in Coeur d'Alene. George has also worked as a judge in many wine competitions, and his articles are published around the country. You can learn more about the dinner party at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com. You can get all of these articles and other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.