On Wine

There was a time when I chose wine based on two things: price, and the level of hilarity represented by the label.

Sometimes I still regress to that point. I bought this just two weeks ago:

Only $12! 

But as a sophisticated woman of the world, and one who now proudly owns a copy of Wine for Dummies, I’m working on developing a taste and knowledge of wine. Words like “bouquet,” “tannins” and “palate” are working their way into my lexicon. One day I feel I’ll be able to discuss a bottle with equally pretentious people without adopting an affected English accent and donning an imaginary monocle.

Beyond its taste and intoxicating quality, here are three things I love about wine:

-       it’s historical

-       it’s international

-       it allows me to turn drinking into a hobby

I love history, I love travel, and I love spending my days in a nauseous haze. I’ve found my true passion in life.

1. Historical

Wine is one of the world’s oldest beverages. At certain times and places throughout history it has even been more popular than water—such as in the margin of time after we developed the technology to pollute our waterways with sewage, but hadn’t yet developed the means to render that same water palatable.

Like really old buildings or really old people, wine has remained constant while everything around it has changed. Certainly wine production has evolved over time, but the basic operation, particularly in many old-world wineries, has been handed down from generation to generation independent of development outside the vineyard walls.

Leonardo da Vinci drank wine. Machiavelli drank wine. Mussolini drank wine. I drink wine! It provides a connection with the past that Pepsi Next lacks.

2. International

Wine is made all over the world. Strangely enough, even before I was interested in wine, I’ve found myself drawn to countries where wine is prominent—Italy, France, Germany and Greece to name a few. What a happy coincidence! My affection for Baroque architecture and my sparse knowledge of French dovetail nicely with this new interest.

I actually visited a winery a number of years ago on a tour of Greece, long before I had any taste for wine whatsoever. It was very scenic; as I recall I nearly crashed a wedding as I was trying to get a picture of the view. As far as the wine itself goes, I don’t remember much about it besides the fact that I didn’t like it, and one was made from oranges. Although maybe the fact that I don’t remember it actually recommends it; we did do a tasting.

A view worth ruining anyone's special day for.

I figured while I was there I might as well paparazzo them. Nothing but class.

Last summer Mitch and I visited the Okanagan, launching my true interest in wine, perhaps in efforts to reconnect with that carefree vacation lifestyle. The pace in the Okanagan is nothing like the pace in Edmonton… it might have something to do with the sheer amount of energy required to stay alive there, i.e. not much, in contrast to here in Edmonton (see this post).

Elephant Island winery, Naramata, BC. Pleasant.

Edmonton, AB. Unpleasant.

Wine represents a way of life that is different from my way of life. It represents a life that is full of pleasure, not one that is spent trudging to work at a utility company each day, as the snow piles ever higher.

3. As for calling drinking a hobby… well, it's nice to have an excuse for these:

So, in summary, a glass of wine can be an escape into a different time, a different place, a different level of consciousness. Drink up!