These all disappear as I am jolted back to reality via an elbowing in the
ribs from whomever I am with. Why? The result of seeing young men or women
reaching for a bottle of sweet wine from the shelves - be it Two Nephews or
Four Cousins or what have you. At times, I have been known to wander in the
direction of this scene, curiously wanting to find out more about their
purchase or divulge information on residual sugar. Generally resulting, too, in
a tug of my sleeve and a humiliating hiss of so they like sweet wine, so
what?
So what indeed. I am often asked questions along the lines of how
does one get into wine? Then I was asked to pen something on it and it
really got the brain cells dancing around the bonfire. How did I get into
wine? I had a look around my world. I have wine magnets on the fridge, my
passwords are wine related, I study wine as time allows and, when my account
hits rock bottom with days left until payday, I am generally asked, “how
much wine did you buy this month?” Clearly then, it seems, I am into
wine. And if I think back ten or so years, I was the one reaching for the Saint
Anna on the supermarket shelf.
That’s where it began. I was a student and I lived and studied in the
Winelands, I was always going to encounter wine. When you are a first year and
you are on your way to a braai as a student, the liquor store purchase is
invariably between some alcopop six-pack and wine. The whisk(e)y/brandy/vodka
mixers tend to come a bit later – or so was my experience. Moreover, as a
child, I was surrounded by adults who I looked up to – in both senses of the
term – invariably holding glasses of vino at social gatherings. It looked so
glamorous. A sip here, a sip there…a liking is easily acquired. When one starts
drinking as a teen, remnants of the milk teeth have us reaching for the
sweet…it’s the natural order of things. The fact that sweet wine gets you
plastered so much more quickly may have only slightly something to do with it.
Following on from this is a lesson in the art of respect. Something my blog
actually makes reference to. In my case, wine tended to win. Aspirin sales
soared with me. It was around this time that I became enraptured by the grape –
the whole thing, from berry to bottle. The way it reacts so differently with
food, the way certain vines like cool or warmth, or don’t like getting their
feet wet. For the first time in, well, ever, I was truly intrigued by
something and wanted to know more.
Not everyone gets bitten by the bug, but everyone I speak to seems to enjoy
wine to a degree: be it a glass once a week or a bottle every day. No judging
here. I’ve chatted to those who don’t care if the bottle’s been sitting in the
fridge for a week, or who actually prefer it out of a box - to those who are
interested in what food it complements and the downright self-confessed geeks.
It doesn’t matter which section of the spectrum you fit into, it just matters
that you enjoy it. Wine is mostly about enjoyment (in my books). That and the
fact that one of the driving forces of human nature is intrigue, so if you’ve
been drinking Sauvignon blanc for two years, it’s likely that you will reach a
point where you decide you’d like to sample a Sauvignon blend, and maybe later
on, the boundaries will be pushed towards sampling a straight Semillon. Taking
this into consideration, you clearly are into wine. The base is there,
and from that you can build.
Don’t get caught up in small stuff. You are advised, lone behold instructed
not to put ice in your wine, and God forbid it’s red wine. It “dilutes the
flavours” and “if served at the right temperature, you shouldn’t need ice.”
Swell, but you like your wine very chilled, so what’s the problem? The
pharmaceutical companies recommend I swallow a headache tablet with a little
water or milk. I generally take mine with Chenin blanc because that’s my preference.
And speaking of preferences, it can be overwhelming for many to face a wine
list in a restaurant, especially under the guidance of a third party. In a nice
restaurant, we are generally tempted to try something a little different and
when someone is punting a wine at you, you generally just go along with it to
get the whole process over with and the nectar poured into your glass pronto.
I’ve lost count of the number of times I have been swayed to go for Wine Z,
taken a sip and found my tastebuds wincing, internally screeching at me what
the HELL is that??
To avoid this type of scenario, and to attempt to ‘get into wine’ a bit more
(if that is indeed your preference) then I would start with this little
activity which will tantalise your tastebuds, be a barrel of fun and prove
informative at the same time.
Choose your favourite vino. Let’s assume this is Sauvignon. Hit the shops
and buy 4 or 5 different Sauvignon blancs from different producers. Those that
arouse your curiosity and you would like to ‘get to know better.’ Or buy 50/50
red/white if you prefer. Invite your best buddies over. Before they arrive,
cover the bottles – newspaper or socks (clean, preferably) – are easiest. Mix
them all up so that even you have lost track of which is which. Number them.
And then just have a bit of a tasting party. Go through them, make a note of
those you like and those you don’t – and why. If you want to take it a bit
further, have some snacks prepared on the side with different flavour
elements…salmon pieces, pâté, biltong, cheese, olives etc. Even something
sweet. It’s great to see which combinations work and which don’t. Later, have a
Google of ‘wine tasting games’ or similar – you will find a whole heap of ideas
online. If it proves a hit, do it monthly or every second month with different
wines. It’s interesting, relaxed and downright simple fun – and a laid back way
to take your enjoyment of wine to the next level.
You may even discover your new favourite way of taking Aspirin.