very little is better than a good glass of shiraz, a good friend to share it with, and a nice environment to share it in.
today, on my 30 days of thanks is an easy one… wine!
i love wine. it’s easy enough to love, but it’s just so delicious. in undergrad, i took a wine tasting class [did your school offer one? reason #8026 why i love sweet briar more than anything], and it really opened me up to wine. before then, it had just been a grape juice that was good, but i didn’t appreciate it. now i appreciate it. a lot a lot. and new zealand has amazing wines, so of course we explored all over the place there. i think i probably went on wine tastings at 20 different vineyards/wineries in 6 months. 🙂
i love a good red, but i appreciate most types and have favorites for each.
i love playing the pairing game – deciding what will go well with what food. sometimes doing a surprising mix that ends up being wonderful.
i love how all of the senses are involved.
- the sight – look at the colors! the intense reds! the deep rubies!
- the smell. this is when the wine first introduces itself to you. a good bouquet will reel you in and you’ll never be the same.
- the touch. when a super tannin-full wine will jump and vigorously attack your tongue or it will be as smooth as velvet. ah.
- and finally, the taste. the aroma! is that blackberry? espresso? the bouquet! is that oak? honey, even?
it’s just such an experience. i like many types of booze [nothing goes better with chili than a cold beer, and a gin&tonic is my signature cocktail], but wine will always win the day for enjoyment and pleasure.
this picture is from the seifried winery in nelson, new zealand. it was my very favorite of all the vineyards/wineries we visited. they produced the single best pinot noir i’ve ever had.
firecracker's follies 