Wine Gladdens The Heart Of Man.
(The Liver … Not So Much)
Chapter One, Part Five.
A couple of weeks ago I asked, “What is it about wine that has stirred the human spirit for so many centuries?” There are those who say wine is like a religious experience because, much like sitting in church, it can make you drowsy. There’s something else that draws us to wine that seldom gets mentioned in magazines or newspapers unless Lindsay Lohan is involved.
Early man discovered that grape juice, when exposed to yeast, ferments into alcohol. Now let me hear you say hallelujah brothers and sisters because to my mind the discovery of fermentation ranks right up there with the wheel, the lever, and squeeze bottle catsup.
Alcohol stimulates the accumbens nucleus, which is the part of your brain responsible for pleasure, laughter, aggression and fear, or as I like to call it, a typical weekend with the in-laws.
Read MoreBuying Bordeaux Doesn’t Always Require A Home Equity Loan.
Wine Snark enjoys Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte with winemaker Fabien Teitgen. ’08 Smith Haut Lafitte and ’10 La Petite Haut Lafitte were 2 stand-outs of the tasting.
On Monday I attended a French wine tasting where many of the classified Bordeaux estates were represented. The line-up included notable wines like the 1996 Chateau Mouton-Rothschild, the 2006 Chateau Haut-Brion, and the 1996 Chateau Cheval Blanc. After perusing the prices I realized these wines are referred to as “right bank” or “left bank” because before you buy a bottle you must first go to the bank.
The Cheval Blanc weighed in with a hefty $1,800 per bottle retail price tag but I made use of the spit bucket despite my high expectations. You see when I attend a wine tasting of classified Bordeaux I expectorate the very best.
Read MoreChange Comes Slowly To Bordeaux
Chapter Sixteen, Part One.
On the right bank of the Gironde River in the heart of Bordeaux, and just a short bicycle ride from the medieval village of St. Emilion, sits the family run Chateau Cantenac. My wife Caroline and I dismount and receive a warm greeting from the matriarch-owner of the estate, Nicole Roskam-Brunot and her son Johan. Strolling through vineyards first planted by his great grandfather, Johan remarks, “Change comes slowly to these vineyards. Twenty years is a very short time in St. Emilion.”
Another Tough Day At Work.
I spent last Monday afternoon at the City Winery in lower Manhattan having my teeth stained purple. The occasion was a wine tasting sponsored by Massanois, a terrific young wine importer and wholesaler that represents an impressive selection of boutique to mid-sized wineries from around the world. Between chatting with winemakers and jockeying for position at the spit bucket, I managed to sample 150 of the 400 wines presented. I must be slowing down in my old age.
I woke up feeling like something had died in my mouth which is probably why they call it the mourning after. If you’ve been there before I’m sure you can feel my pun.
Read MoreI Laughed, I Cried, I Danced.
Chapter One, Part Four.
What is it about wine that has stirred the human spirit for so many centuries? Mountain Dew doesn’t make you laugh and cry or move you to photocopy your keister at the office Christmas party. Critics don’t rate tea on a 100 point scale and Starbucks doesn’t age its coffee in a musty cellar for years. It only tastes that way.
Wine affects people differently because, unlike most beverages, it strikes an emotional chord in our psyche. When your brain memorizes an aroma, the memory gets entangled in the part of the brain that manages your emotions.
Perhaps you’ve experienced a warm, glowing feeling when aromas of cinnamon or vanilla remind you of your grandmother’s kitchen. I could be way off base here. Your grandmother’s kitchen may have smelled like cheap gin and cigarettes.
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