Have you ever been to a specialty wine shop? No, not the wine aisle in a grocery store (though there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that), but a store focused on wine and/or other spirits.
The ones with a library of bottles stacked from floor to ceiling marked with words you can’t pronounce and prices you can’t afford, and everyone kind of looks like they’re either prepped for an academic conference or about to head out on tour with Big Thief (no hate to Big Thief ), and you’re met with stares - from either typecast - as if you’ve stepped into a Grad level course on Topics in French Literature when you’re really just trying to get to Lit 102, so you’re left standing there, slightly nervous, probably a bit sweaty, wondering how in the hell you found yourself there and where the nearest exit is?
Yeah, we don’t want that.
At its worst, wine is a gatekept, elitist beverage best enjoyed with a side of pretension and a pocket-sized dictionary to help you navigate the obscure terminology tossed around by the beforementioned ‘professionals.’
But at its best, wine is truly magical - how about we focus on the magic?
To explain this magic, let’s explore the following three sub-categories of wine magicians:
Those that make the wine (AKA the Producers)
Those you buy the wine from (AKA the Sellers)
Those you drink the wine with (AKA the Friends)
1. Those that make the wine (AKA the Producers)
At the heart of what goes into every bottle of wine you drink are the Producers - the people that work day in & day out to cultivate a vineyard and turn something as simple as a grape into a beautiful liquid meant to be poured, paired, and shared with the people you love the most.
And just like you and me, these producers are people with deep histories, interesting stories, strongly held beliefs, and big ideas that are just trying to make their mark on this complicated world we live in.
Take our friend Jean-Marie Rimbert, for example; JM was born into a farming family but discovered a love for wine and made the terrifying leap into purchasing and cultivating a wine vineyard back in 1996. And now, after 20+ years of staying dedicated to a big idea, Jean-Marie ships bottles worldwide - sharing with us a little memento of his hard work and philosophies surrounding how land should be treated, and life should be lived.
How fucking cool is that?
Limitless stories are waiting to be discovered and shared by those that choose to search and listen with care. So I encourage you to treat your wine as you would a story from a loved one by consuming it with care and choosing to look beyond the container it’s packaged in. And if you no longer know where/how to search, reach out and ask for help!
2. Those you buy the wine from (AKA the Sellers)
A good wine seller is akin to a librarian that nudges you toward an exciting new author, a record store employee that suggests an album you would have never picked up yourself but fits exactly what you were looking for, the waiter at your favorite restaurant that understands your taste enough to recommend a new dish you wouldn’t have otherwise ordered, or for the sake of magic - the wizard that sets you on a path towards discovering yourself and learning more about this vast world along the way.
In short, your local wine seller knows how to key in on what you’re looking for and recommend something completely new for you to try.
But this comes with a caveat… their ability to tap into their knowledge and recommend you a new and exciting bottle is 100% dependent on mutually sharing your likes, dislikes, and experiences!
Would you ever step into a bookstore and say, “Hello, I’m looking for a hardcover book to enjoy,” and actually expect to step away with a book that fits your unique mood? No, you might walk in and say something along the lines of “Hello, I just finished Ubik by Philip K. Dick and would love something similar, but maybe a bit more realistic,” and a good bookseller would know how to put you on the trail of your next read.
The same exact scenario applies to wine purchasing.
When at a bottleshop, be open to sharing your likes, dislikes, and past experiences. Most wine sellers work in the industry because they 1) love wine and 2) want to share their knowledge with others. So take full advantage of that!
Go in willing to discuss what you’re in the mood for, and I promise that you’ll almost always walk away with something enjoyable, or at the very least interesting.
A few prompts to help you get what you’re looking for are:
“I’m cooking ____ for dinner tonight and would love something to pair with it.”
“I bought a bottle of ____ red wine from you last week and loved how dry it was. Do you have any bottles of white that have a similar profile?”
“I have always been more of a cab-sav drinker but would like to branch out. Do you have any recommendations?”
I promise that finding a good neighborhood shop and heading in with curiosity and the willingness to occasionally not know what you’re talking about will introduce you to more interesting wines and people than you could ever imagine!
Please reach out if you’re having any issues finding a good local shop, and I’d be more than happy to put you on to something good!
P.S. Wine people tend to also know good food, so go make some quality shop friends, and you might just luck your way into some fun dinners
3. Those you drink the wine with (AKA the Friends)
Since its very beginnings, wine was made for sharing with others (celebration) and reflecting on life and death (spirituality), and in the 9000+ years since people began producing wine, not much has changed.
And while the accessibility of wine has increased drastically over the years, and the purpose of its consumption is no longer exclusive to celebration or spirituality, there is something magical about opening a bottle alongside others to look towards the future, remember the past, or be present in the moment.
This is, in it’s purest form, why I created this community. To create a community where curiousity is encouraged, information is spread far & wide, and the experience of buying/drinking wine hopefully becomes more rooted in the feelings you have and relationships you make throughout the process.
I encourage you to stay connected, ask questions, share your own unique experiences of wines/travels/dinners/etc. and to continue opening this group up to others that might be interested.
We have a big ole’ world just waiting to be enjoyed - and we’re just getting started!
Cheers