Talk-A-Vino

Source: Pexels Cup of Couple

Yes, I’m on the streak. A self-focused experiment. I’m curious to see how many posts in a row I can write. Not just “hello –  goodbye”, but posts with substance. Well, whatever. This is definitely not the topic of this post.

Oh, and here is a full disclosure – this post is about first-world problems. If you are not interested, you know where to click.

I bet you had no idea that winelovers struggle. No, not when we enjoy a glass of wine. When we enjoy wine, we simply ask for another glass. And no, not when we don’t enjoy wine. Then it is a very simple ask: “Can I have something else, please?” It is really that simple. If you don’t like the particular wine, there is no struggle – you just move on to the next.

The struggle starts when we need to choose the wine. At that moment, the struggle is real. A chain of thought might depend on the setting, but the unending back and forth is always the same.

When you are presented with the wine list at a restaurant, you need to decide based on price, based on mood, based on company, based on food. It always goes “this. Wait, no – this one. Hmmm. No, let’s go to a different region. Ah, yes, this one. No, wait, maybe this? Why is this so expensive? Ohh, why is this so cheap?” Well, got you. The last one is not real. If you know what you are doing, “why is it so cheap” is not the question you concern yourself with. But the rest of it? If you love wine and have ever chosen a bottle in a restaurant, tell me that I’m wrong. I dare you. Tell me that in the comments section. Go ahead, make my day.

The second one might be even worse. Now you need to select a wine for a dinner, get together with friends, a holiday, a birthday, an anniversary – you got the idea, right? This is where the struggle becomes even worse. When you need to choose a wine in the restaurant, you have a limited amount of time and a reasonably limited wine selection. None of it is in play at home. You start worrying about the wine months and months before the event – you can choose not to, of course, but only if you let yourself do this. Now think how many of us allow ourselves not do it, huh?

And here you are really screwed, as you have plenty of time to go “This! No, wait, that! Wait, no, no, I need something else”, following with “Is it too early? Can this already be past prime? It is my only bottle, should I open it now? What if it will be so much better in 10 years?”. And let’s not forget “Will they like it? Is that a good choice for that holiday? Is that special enough for the occasion? Maybe I can do better?” On, and on, and on. Endless. Frustrating. Annoying.

Why all of a sudden all of this soul-pouring sentiment? That’s easy, let me explain.

Any February is a tough month for the struggling winelover. You got Valentine’s Day in the middle of the short month, and then you have Open That Bottle Night (OTBN) on the last Saturday in February. And to add to the struggle, this particular February, we are flying to Florida to see our close friends, and they will have their wedding anniversary during our visit, so I definitely feel that I need to bring something appropriate to celebrate. There you go – three opportunities to struggle.

Source: Pexels Polina Tankilevitch

I still don’t know how we are celebrating Valentine’s Day. I’m sure we are not going to the restaurant, but we might decide to have some company. And it falls on Saturday this year, which is all the more reason to select a good bottle(s). In any case, what should we drink on Valentine’s Day? Yes, bubbles first, that is clear, but even that presents a dilemma. And what should follow the bubbles? What kind of red wine offers the best pairing for Valentine’s Day? If you have any thoughts – go ahead, don’t be shy.

Then the wedding anniversary – do I even have the right bottle for that? I have some vintage Champagnes, but nothing grand enough for the occasion. And while my friends generally like the wine, they are not wine geeks, so well-aged reds might not solicit the response I would want.

Last but not least is the mother of all winelover struggles – OTBN. The holiday was invented to help people crack open that special bottle still waiting for the right moment, which might never come. And yet OTBN is only one night, how many bottles can you open? Selecting the bottle for OTBN is ultra-difficult, especially when one has lots of wines in the quantity of … 1. When you have only one bottle, you need to decide if this is really the time, if the bottle can still improve, if the bottle is special enough. Ah, and please understand that “special” doesn’t mean “expensive”. A special bottle is simply a bottle with an attached memory, and for OTBN, we need to ensure that the bottle is special enough.

Here, I just shared my frustration with you, and I feel better. I even got some ideas for the wine to open on Valentine’s Day. And I’m pretty much decided on the OTBN bottles (it means nothing, really, everything can – and will – change quickly). But I do feel better at the moment.

So what would you tell me? Is this struggle real, or am I a spoiled, undeserving brat? You be the judge of it, but I know how it feels selecting a bottle for a month, in the endless loop between all the wine fridges and shelves. For me, it is definitely real. And for you? Hey, do tell your stories, I’m all ears…