I have been drinking everything in sight lately.
Now hold on. I haven’t been drinking in excess, or carrying on like an idiot. I’ve just been indulging much more than I have in months. Well, one sip would be more than I’ve had in months being I had a little stand off with wine for awhile. I highly recommend a break, from so many things – but taking a break from something you study, admire, pontificate, crave, yearn for and have a true affection for is telling. I don’t need a glass of wine to “take the edge off”, or finish the day, or for help in understanding my crappy attitude. I’m not going to judge if this is you, because, we all run our own lives. However, for me, new suggestions on how and what I drink started to emerge, and my approach in expressing my thoughts on flavors have changed. I’ve begun this study on where your thoughts on flavors are actually coming from. Why did I have leftover Tres Leches for breakfast this morning instead of a protein shake (this actually happened), why do I seem to date guys that drink beer (known fact), and why do I seem to want a balanced chardonnay every day around 6pm? Where are these feelings coming from? I am starting to recognize they are not so much flavor choices, but rather notions of comfort, satisfaction, and yes love.
In saying all of that, I was thinking what my wine choice would be at Thanksgiving dinner. Let me tell you where I am coming from – I’m the invited guest. Don’t feel bad for me, I’m used to it. My family has other plans (and for good reasons-another blog), and I usually find myself as the orphan at your table. I also have the worst digestive system. My 40’s have brought rough and tumble tummy issues that I’m still learning how to handle. That’s a lot of drama, I know. But, what can cure the awkward non-family dinner/toasting to nothing you understand/eat till you puke wine event? Check out these three choices:
- The Grape: Grillo
- Where is it from?: Sicily, Italy. Yes, you heard that correctly. And…it’s a white wine. Hold on…
- Why, why and why?: This wine was a gift brought to my annual Friendsgiving Party. NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE brings wine to my house – EVER. So, imagine my surprise when not only did this wine appear, but it was actually good! It was the perfect white as a starter when first arriving somewhere where you are the “new guy” and feel a little out of place. Crisp, bright, with bountiful citrus flavors – very similar to your sauvignon blanc, but with a mineral backbone. We stood in my front room and quickly finished this bottle – giggling, exchanging kisses, realizing my house had become a safe zone and feeling like we belonged. Corny, but that is the memory – and I love it.
- The grape(s); Tinta Roriz Alfocheiro, Touriga Nacional – yeah, there you go…
- Where is it from?: The Dao area of Portugal. So many of my wine friends have been oohing and ahing over wines from the Dao, and I have been ignoring them. Not only am I beginning to expand my mind on this area, but am willing to open my wallet to the area – very affordable!
- Why, why, and why?: Honestly, because it is easy. Medium body, plump, full of lush flavors of raspberries, plums, and any other round red fruit. Great “I’m in a conversation” wine – like a let’s chat about nothing while we sip wine. There is a sweetness that usually turns me off, but it is bearable in a way that is reassuring and soothing. Give hugs with this wine, be surface with your thoughts and filter what you say. You know, normal holiday conversation…
- The Grape: Good Ole’ Cabernet Sauvignon
- Where is it from?: Good Ole’ Napa Valley California
- Why, why, and why?: This is my wine dinner choice because I KNOW it will be not only good, but appreciated by everyone that drinks it. Is it a sell out to bring a bottle of Beringer? This is always the conversation that surrounds a brand like this. There will always be the comment; “Oh Susan – did you bring me a jug of White Zinfandel from Beringer as well?” If that was what you were thinking, then I feel bad for you. If you don’t want a glass because of that notion, I feel worse for you. Is it nice to have the greatest example of not only the grape choice, but the area it is grown in? Is it not a wise choice to drink a wine from one of the first wineries created in a country you live in? Think about it. Don’t screw with my Beringer Knights Valley Cab. This wine will over deliver on what you love about a Cab – deep rich black fruit that is just silky and sexy, spicy oak, integrated tannins, and something that lingers. Don’t drink it, I dare you.
However you celebrate within the next two months – do it. If that means scrambled eggs and a bunch of candles on your couch, or something overly boushy – you do you. I’ve done both and enjoy both almost equally. The truth that has come to me is that whether I am alone, or in a room full of people, I will almost definitely have a hole deep in my being a bit. Don’t fill it with booze – just a suggestion. Fill it with phone call from someone you keep thinking of, fill it with a new pair of shoes, or a really good movie on Netflix. Or suck it up and accept that invitation to a dinner you feel you don’t belong at. Because, you do.
