I’ve enjoyed wine here and there but recently I decided to learn just a little bit more about the intrinsic and mysterious world of wine-tasting. I had so many questions! Why do people suck in air while tasting a fine wine? What are they looking at when they hold their glass up to the light? And why in the world do they swish and spit?
So I grabbed my brother—who has been quite the connoisseur for many years—and, along with our significant others, away we went! Napa is a famous California wine region, but we avoided that area like the plague, my brother sniffing in disgust at the mere thought of going to that tourist trap. Instead, we went to an area of small, quaint wineries spread out in a gorgeous area south of Sacramento.
All I can say is “Oh, wow!” We sipped and we supped and we laughed! Merlots, Pinots, Zinfandels, Syrahs! And let’s not forget the whites: Sauvignon Blancs, Gewürztraminers, Chardonnays. Scrumptious!
The experience was everything I’d hoped it’d be. Spirited (excuse the pun), fun, and I must say quite tasty. By the time we were through I was swishing my glasses with the best of them. I knew how to find just the right shade of a rich Merlot. I stuck my nose halfway down the glass to take in the sensual bouquet of a Cabernet Sauvignon. Ditching my pride, I took in air with my wine to get the full robust flavor of each sip. As for the tasting and spitting, well, I found it was a good idea by the time I got to my third winery!
All-in-all, I’d say I’m well on the road to connoisseurship. Wine, as they say, is the nectar of the gods, and I’d have to agree. Nothing caresses the senses in quite the same way.
But now I gotta go—there’s a 2001 Syrah calling my name…