Why Wine?

WHY WINE?

Thirsty?  Well, you’ve got lots of choices.  Water is certainly an obvious one.  Clean, clear, refreshing, the source of life, the stuff we are made of.  Nothing wrong with water.

How about milk?  Cows, sheep, goats, camels and more produce the stuff – heck, you can even get it from coconuts.  Low-fat, non-fat, full-fat, strawberry, chocolate, etc.  Unless you’ve got a dairy allergy you can find something to like there.

And elsewhere.  Our world is filled with fans of various juices and nectars, coffees and teas, colas and sugary, fruity concoctions of every color and description.  And what about the profusion of “adult” beverages out there?  Bourbon, scotch, tequila, rum, vodka, gin… these and many more have their passionate fans and defenders.

As does beer.  Ah, beer.  I’ve enjoyed many a glass of cold hop juice over the years, and you’ll never hear me complain about it.  Nor will I gripe about any of the choices mentioned above.  They all have their place, their uses, and tasty examples to choose from.  But – and here’s where the big blunt truth has to be stated – they have one dramatic shortfall:  they are not wine.
For wine is the world’s most compelling beverage.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s start with a little history (relax, I said a little).  Wine dates back to 7000 b.c. and has played major social, cultural, commercial, and religious roles since then.  Homer mentions it in his ancient Greek epics.  Julius Caesar and Marc Antony wooed Cleopatra with it.  It even appears in the Bible; readers of the New Testament will recall that Jesus drank wine at every meal.

Who cares about history, you ask?  Old news, you say?  Let’s fast forward to modern times, then.  Why do we use wine (in sparkling form) to toast at weddings and other special occasions?  Why christen ships with it?  Why do we have this intrinsic recognition of wine’s special status?  Because wine connects us to the earth – and the bounty of food that comes from it – like nothing else can.
Wine is the perfect distillation of rain, sun, and soil.  And while it’s produced around the world, it is site specific to a remarkable degree; you won’t find as much fascinating variance in any other agricultural product coming from different sources.  Wine’s complexity, however, isn’t limited to different grapes and winemakers.

Ever eaten a turkey sandwich and had it positively evolve in flavor, aroma, and complexity over the fifteen or so minutes you spent consuming it?  Me neither.  But I’ve had that wondrous, magical experience with a single glass of wine more times than I can count.   It’s possible to start sharing a delicious bottle with friends and experience three, four, even five “different” wines during the course of its consumption.  Wine at its best is full of flavor, beauty, complexity, and passion – in other words, life.

And don’t get me started on how well wine goes with food.  I take that back.  Get me started.  Please, get me started.

The right wine with the right food elevates both.  Often exquisitely.  And the good news is pairing the two is easier than you think.  I’ll go into more detail on this in the future, but for now I offer a general rule:  match general characteristics, and you’ll be fine.  If you’ve got a light dish, try a light-bodied wine.  An acidic dish, then something crisp and zesty (in other words, acidic).   A powerful,  heavy meal calls for its counterpart in wine as well.  The combinations are endless, and, trust me, when it comes to matching wine with food experimentation is definitely its own reward.

Still not sold?  Let me summarize my philosophy.  I believe to the core of my being that good wine plus good food plus good friends equals a great life.  Try this combination sometime.  Anytime.  Feel the joy, the camaraderie, the love.  Feel the connection between the food and the wine, between you and your friends, between us and the earth that nurtures us.
And you may consider anew the question asked above… why wine?

And you may find your answer.

copyright 2010 Jim Tobin