Fermented Thoughts: A Wine Epiphany

“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." ~ John Milton

I think Milton, makes a great point; my cumulative experiences and all that I've learned about wine, how it's made, the terrior, its history changed fovever how I would viewed my world. I would no longer just view wine as simple beverage, but as something that trancends the everyday making it better one slurp at a time.

Many folks ask me, "so Bill how did you become so passionate about wine" or "why is it such a big deal to you, after all it's just fermented grape juice". Well before I had my transcendent moment with wine some ten years ago, I was pretty much a resolute beer only drinker and not even of the mirco-beer persuasion. I was just your garden variety tail-gater, sippin and slurping on what ever happened to be available.

Before I met my wife I couldn't care less about wine, it really didn't give it any consideration. My wife [then fiancee] who was just starting to get into the whole wine-experience herself wanted to introduce me to wine. Somehow her and I got onto the conversation about why I was not into wine and I really didn't have an answer that made sense. Maybe I had seen too many of my friends have their very own purple splash party that may have discouraged me from exploring it further. All I know is that I could care less about it at the time.

So my wife [Mrs. Cuvee] who was my fiancee at the time and budding wine-enthusiast herself thought it would be a great idea to book a trip to the Napa Valley and asked if I wanted to do a road trip with her, "lets just dive in head first" she said and I readily agree, thinking uh-huh okay lets see what all the purple-tinged fuss is all about.

Why Napa, c'mon folks let's all face it, when one thinks of wine country, typically one word comes to mind and that word is "Napa". I know, I know, there many great wine regions to explore here in the U.S. but the truth is that for most folks "Napa" is "thee" destination for the wandering wino if you live here in the states.

One of my very first experiences with wine came at a winery located on what some call the purple-haze super highway 29 a winery called V. Sattui which is a great place for many first timers to get their feet wet.  I'm not sure if this was the very first place we stopped, but it was definitely one of the most memorable. We walked into a very uber crowded, albeit a very large tasting room, "I thought oh-boy maybe we should come back another time". But giving a quick look around for an open spot, I saw a rather tall gentlemen gesturing for us to come over to the bar.

Once we arrived at the tasting bar, he welcomed us warmly and introduced himself as Daryl V. Sattui, who we later found out was the owner. We had a great tasting, talking about wine and his winery and I think we walked out of there with at least a case, but not before having lunch on the picnic grounds. The very tasty wine poured that day, along with Mr. V.Sattui's hospitality started me thinking, hmm there's something more here than meets the eye to this fermented grape juice phenomenon [still buying juice from them today].

One of the other more memorable places we stopped that same day, was a place called Opus One also found right along highway 29, but an appointment is needed for a visit [luckily we were prepared]. A far cry of difference between these two iconic Napa Valley destinations to be sure. But another experience that changed my ideas about why wine is so much different than your average cocktail. As we roll up on the place, I'm thinking "whoa, this is a pretty elaborate set-up" to most of the other vino-sapiens today, many think it's a bit overstated. Be that as it may, the wine poured that day, really "wowed" me.

Being new to the "wine-scene" I've not had enough time to become jaded or frankly to be too concerned about appearance issues. Of course that didn't mean I was oblivious to how proud they are of the place and wine sold there. That said, this experienced again helped puncuate my own personal ah-ha moment with the vine. We walked out of there with just one bottle, that cost us something close to $200, my memory on the fact is a bit hazy. Nonetheless it was a bottle we saved for our fifth wedding anniversary, it moved with us three times before we popped the cork on this bad-boy after 10 years in the bottle and wow really impressive.

So yes Mrs. Cuvee if you happen to be reading this, the whole wine blogging "thing" I do and my love affair with the vine is all your fault, but thank you ever so much for helping me find a little culture and much love to you for all you do, salud!

Two very different experiences, but both thrilled me so much that I thought to myself, "I need to know more about wine" so I set off on a trail of exploration and have never looked back. Each new experience, each wine region visited, each fellow-traveler, every new wine tasted, tells me wine is far more than just a beverage to be enjoyed with your friends at the local watering hole after work. It's far more than that, it's a lifestyle. I've come to think of wine as Clifton Fadiman once said; "If food is the body of good living, wine is its soul." So there you have my story about how wine has capatured my heart, mind and my soul. It's with great pleasure that I say to you; sip long and prosper, cheers!

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