The First Sip
I remember fondly my father dancing around the kitchen, each step perfectly timed to the snap and clap of sautéing vegetables. He has always kept a glass of Merlot close by for when he cooks, spilling it, on a whim, into the mushrooms and onions. He drinks primarily Merlot, usually the Chateau Ste. Michelle - a Washington based merlot offered at his local grocery store:
This wine offers aromas of black cherry, leather and spice with a sweet, smooth velvety finish
the label would say. A sweet, smooth velvety finish? I was picturing a thick slice of red velvet cake with molten cherries on top.
Eager to try this beautiful concoction I took a hardy sip, disgusted to find no trace of black cherry, no sweet leather, no red velvet cake that I was promised.“Try it again,” dad would say, “but slow down. You're not trying to win any races here.” Slowly pieces and parts of a description would come to me... still no red velvet cake.
My fascination with wine and its lovely descriptors didn't wane after my first glass as you might have thought. With each additional glass, so grew my appreciation for the next.
It's uncommon to see a twenty-two year old so intensely interested and passionate about wine.Sure wine seems like a normal progression from childhood grape juice boxes. While the average twenty-something in Montana would prefer to hang out on the hitch of a truck in the woods holding a watery Coors Light and yelling, "USA!" repetitively; saying I'd rather not is an understatement.
I want to be in the Côte de Nuits sipping on a Pinot Noir. I would rather be meeting Jean-Marc Millot, a short french man with a large nose and a plaid shirt, in Vognes Romanée sipping unfinished winein a cold damp cellar.The combination of the carbonized wine and the goosebumps on my arms heightening my every sense. With each glass I have and each person I share it with I still pour over - no pun intended - these descriptions on the back of the bottle.
When I started to pick out my own bottles and try new wines I would try to the best of my ability to make my own silly descriptions about the wine.
This Barbera is a voluptuous burlesque dancer, she laughs at all of your jokes and her plum-p cheeks and round, bold body will have you in a daze.
Each varietal plays a different role in my mind. And just like people, each has it's own distinct personality, some rare like a rare 1996 Burgundy and others dirty and delicious like the Negromaro in the Salice Salentino.
My first sip was not ideal but with each sip I began to understand what I liked and came to love about wine. So when you're tasting new wines I urge you to treat each and every wine you drink as an opportunity to learn and grow. Remember you're not trying to win any races... slow down and enjoy!
Photo Credit: Jadon Barnes