Whenever I hear someone utter this "childish" phrase I want to cringe. But now I'm the guilty party, so please bear with me. The source of my protest is similar to the idea, "so much wine, so little time." There are some many different wines from around the world that I haven't tried yet. I don't want to just read about Valpolicellas from Italy or wonderful white Burgandy from France or the grizzly sounding "Ox Blood" (aka Egri Bikavér) from Hungary, I want my taste buds to become experience them.
There are so many different grapes to get to know. I could become a Wine Century Club memeber three times over and still have many new grapes to learn about. As I read "Vino Italiano" it seems that Italy has a plethora of cool, unusual grapes. But right here in the US we have many grapes that I have not tried yet (like Scuppernong or Norton.)
It's a shame that in America, drinking wine is a special thing and not just an ordinary part of a meal. It would be so helpful and enjoyable to be able to drink wine with lunch as well as dinner. Most companies understandably have a no drinking policy, but what a limitation. Sometimes when I'm eating leftovers of chicken or having a pasta plate at a restaurant for with colleagues, the flavors in my mouth cry out for a tasty Chardonnay or spicy Zinfandel. I could see if Schioppettino or Nero d' Avola were just as good as Chianiti with a spicy red sauce.
But I have to wait for the evening meal to enjoy a glass of wine. Maybe the anticipation is what helps make the pairing of wine and food more special. I seldom drink enough wine to feel the effects of the alcohol, so that wouldn't be a problem at work. (Maybe I could bring a spit bucket with me and prove that I tasted but did not swallow. No, that would just be gross!)
I'll just have to be patient. Perhaps just reading wine blogs as I eat my lunch will be enough to satisfy my desire to learn more about wine.
Friday, January 25, 2008
It's Not Fair!
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4 comments:
I feel you. But my "it's not fair" is that so many wines I want to try cost so much or are hard to find. I've still never had Barolo and I've had Sauternes but not Château d'Yquem and so on. But already a good chunk of my income goes to wine.
I'm thinking I should start slowing down and saving up for some big ones. Or make friends with a wealthy and generous wino...
Farley, or start getting invited to trade tasting!
I'm with you on the Barolo, haven't made it there yet.
But I still find there are tons of interesting new wines out there for under $15 from grapes I've never tried, of have now tried and loved, like Negroamara.
I've had some really nice Nortons in MO. Had some pretty bad ones too. It's an interesting grape.
Congratulations on your quest to become a Wine Century Club member! I crossed off many of my grapes by trying native grapes at winery tastings and when I was a wine judge. Good luck!
Kathleen Lisson
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