Wine is about the people
The one common thread that makes some of the wines, that I have had the occasion to taste, so enjoyable is the people and places that have accompanied those wines; their stories, laughter and camaraderie. What I am saying is that I believe that 95% of what elevates a wine from good to great is not the amount of oak aging, malolactic fermentation, food pairing, region or grape variety, but the people you share the experience of that wine with and the place where you choose to drink it.
Be it Barbera d’Asti, Alsatian Riesling or Fino Sharry, in my personal view they never seem to taste as memorable as they did when I have tasted them in their region of origin with the people who I had occasion to share the wine with and who allowed me a brief glimpse into their lives.
How many times have you been on vacation, out to dinner or at a friends house and really enjoyed a bottle of wine and made a note to yourself to seek it out when you get back to your local wine shop, only to be disappointed when you open it up on a Thursday night while catching up on work that you brought home. Why is this? It’s because the perfect wine pairing for any wine is the people you choose to suround yourself with when you drink it. The next time you want to have a memorable wine experience remember that it’s about the people…
