Waiting for yours
In every wine lover's journey there is something that grabs us. That moment that not only draws us in, but when we realize we are going to have an appreciation for and enjoy wine for a very long time. It is that sip that cuts through all the swirling and sniffing, and the endless sea of tasting notes and ratings which reveals a wine we truly love. It is called many things, the “aha moment,” the wine epiphany, or “that one bottle,” but what it does is far more powerful. It creates a lasting memory of that bottle and that time that we can recall in an instant. If you are fortunate enough, you will have more than one of these memories along your wine journey, but it won’t happen every time and it will surprise you every time it does.
The memories are lasting though when you do taste that special bottle for me 1982 Jordan Cabernet at a steakhouse in Dallas, was my first. Later in the late 1980s a 1976 Coche Dury Mersault I had in Beaune in the heart of Burgundy with a beef marrow bone stuffed with foie gras while dining with Mary, her brother John, his wife Paula and chefs Nancy Oakes and Bruce Aidells. The other was a 1980 Meo Camuzet Nuits St. Georges I had with Mary on my birthday at Masas in San Francisco. Each of these bottles revealed true knowledge about wine and a deep understanding of it that can never be replaced.
For wine lovers though it begs the questions, “When will I have that moment?” After you have your first it then goes to “When will I have my next moment?” The answer to both is less than certain.
More importantly is to reflect on what leads to such discoveries in life. Whether it is wine related or not is it realistic to expect profound revelations like this and more importantly is there a way to bring them about through pure effort? I would suggest not. I would further encourage wine enthusiasts to stop trying so hard as a big part of what makes them special is they “sneak” up on you.
I have found with my wine epiphanies that when I expect to have one because I am trying a highly rated bottle that everyone is talking about, that can’t miss bottle the experience seems to fall flat. Too much hype and expectation? Probably. It goes beyond that though, at least for me. When I reflect on those three bottles listed above that made such an impact on my wine journey I have come to recognize that it had much to do with the experience, the place and the people, the food, and the mood of the moment as much as the wine.
In all three of those cases too it was a grape and a producer and a year I knew nothing of that led to that first sip and sniff when your mind reacts with WOW! To me it is nearly impossible to create that feeling by design or effort. It is the surprise that made them my “aha” experience with wine. I speculate it will likely be what does it for you as well.
My advice as a wine professional, one who has tasted a lot of wine therefore is, relax! Don’t expect your wine epiphany and don’t look for it, and stop waiting with anticipation as each cork is pulled or top twisted to find the wine that does it for you. But I can also say with some degree of certainty that somewhere along your wine journey you will have one, and if you are lucky you will have more than one, and I hope for every wine consumer that if you have had one or more there are more in your future.
As we all spend more time enjoying wine and exploring all that there is to try it seems it might become less likely. Our palates develop more and are harder to impress. So it becomes an effort that ought not to be focused on finding that aha moment, but perhaps a journey that will lead to the moment when we least expect it. That is what makes those discoveries so wonderful…
If there is a topic you would like to read about or if you have questions on wine, you can email [email protected], or make suggestions by contacting the Healthy Community section at the Coeur d’Alene Press.
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George Balling is co-owner (with his wife Mary Lancaster) of the dinner party, a wine and table top décor shop located by Costco in Coeur d’Alene. George 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. Be sure and check out our weekly blog at www.thedinnerpartyshop.com/home/blog-2. You can get all of these articles as well as other great wine tips by friending us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/#!/dinnerpartyshop.