PinotPhile -> RE: Wine Religion? (4/18/2017 1:21:15 PM)
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Interesting topic. I have been on a wine journey since about 1990, beginning with cheap Chilean reds enjoyed by the fireplace when living in Chicagoland. Wine and cheese for dinner on weekends began a "romance" with red wine. For the first time. Then a late 90's move to SoCal resulted in wine as a hobby. In the last decade, several major life events. Plus health more time-consuming to manage as aging sets in. Plus the Great Recession that I believe never ended, with its financial implications. Add those together and needed some outlets to address all the change. Two overall that have truly helped: volunteer work and escalation of wine from a hobby to a passion. Wine passion resulted in attending a local university's rigorous (seriously) wine class, then a professional certification. So I was able to add wine-related volunteering as a Somm and combine both outlets. I wonder how much of your journey, and that of other CTers, has to do with overall life events/stressors/coping with aging, etc.? I have found that I needed to look at total context. And to accept that I am not the young, resilient, go-getter person I once was. This is where I am now. I can manage some stuff, strive to improve some stuff, but aging just happens. To all of us. Some of us age well, others, for reasons we sometimes can't control, do not. Part of life's struggles. My husband and I are both introverts. If you mean 3-4 occasions of socializing per month, with wine + family/friends + food, that frequency has never been on our radar screen. Dining out is rare. Takeout and our own wine and a movie or music most weekend nights suits us. Most especially as we age. Talking about wine with others turns this introvert into a literal salesperson, without pay, of course. The most frequent question I get has to do with finding wines that "don't cost an arm and a leg". So people are interested, but the economy still su$$s. So I help them explore wines they enjoy at the $10 and under level. They come back to me so happy. It's worth it. And, I'm a frugal soul. So it all comes together. As for "revitalizing" wine as part of your life, maybe or maybe not. A trip or two to areas where you have up-close and personal interaction with vintners may assist. Maybe focusing on a few reds that do well with a light chill. Barbera, Cab Franc, basic Beaujolais, Dolcetto, Grenache, come to mind. What about Cava Brut Rose' What about Sparkling Shiraz from the Aussies? You mention your cellar. Do you have a cellar strategy? Do you want to spend time developing one? I began a strategy in 2015 that opened my eyes so more possibilities. But I found that my frugal soul wanted a comfort range. So my newer strategy focuses on the US, Chile (see above), Italy and Spain. 2 Old World, 2 New. Great for pairings. All areas with plenty of value wines. Just works. Just a bit of rambling, just a few ideas, not trying to preach (pun intended). My attempt to put all of this into context. Enjoy whatever beverages appeal. Appreciate the moment, the friends, the experience within which wine is just a component. Memory Cheers!
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