Life Among the Vines
Merry Christmas Eve to those who celebrate! In my former life as a pastor, I had twenty-some Christmas Eves that were the busiest, most expectation-laden, most stressful days of my year. I never had the time to go anywhere for Christmas Day, which was usually for the best, because by then I was exhausted and not fit for human consumption. My Christmas tradition: spending the day on the couch with a platter of seafood and the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Extended version, of course.
Last year, I suddenly found that my career change opened up the possibility of spending Christmas with my family, so that is what I did. I surprised my mom by showing up for a holiday for the first time in two decades, and enjoyed dinner and presents with my siblings, nieces, and nephews. And because, for once, I wasn’t practically catatonic, it was great.
This year my work schedule probably would have allowed me to travel, but my health and finances definitely didn’t. Good thing I’m quite accustomed to spending Christmas on my own. I’m sure I’ll see friends and do something festive today or tomorrow or both, but mostly I’m hunkering down in the midst of the endless rain we’re currently experiencing here in California, and going back to my old tradition. While my work doesn’t carry the same intensity these days, I can definitely use a couple of days to decompress from a difficult few months. Bring on the shrimp cocktail and elves.
The Grape News
Rioja celebrates 100 years, but isn’t getting stuck in its own history:
Wine is down overall, but sparkling of all kinds is on the rise. Here is a guide to all things bubbly, or you can revisit my post on sparkling wine from November.
Sometimes I feel like the only person in the world who sees new AI and thinks anything other than, “Yay, a new convenience!” Poaching the human labor required to write existing content, circumventing the need for actual tasters and writers, and pretending a compilation of data is the same as an experiential tasting note doesn’t seem great to me, but here we are with Wine Searcher’s new AI wine critic tool.
Emerging U.S. wine regions, some of which are a surprise even to me. I’m looking at you, New Jersey.
Making wine fun - what a novel concept.
Most wine isn’t meant to age, but when it is, it can reward you greatly - even when you don’t expect it. This piece reminded me that sometimes even people who really know wine don’t entirely know what we’re going to get. Sometimes we’re just taking a chance, letting the wine breathe and seeing what it will do. Obviously in a restaurant or tasting situation you can’t always do this sort of thing, but when it’s just for us, a little extra patience can yield amazing surprises.
I had a colleague in my first wine job who loathed the descriptor “smooth.” Calling a wine smooth was the fastest way to piss him off, with the possible exception of bringing up Taylor Swift. If you’re reading this, you know who you are! Anyway, in wine, “smooth” has no clear meaning, or rather, it has several potential meanings depending on what the drinker finds abrasive or appealing. The same is true of the phrase “easy drinking.” My mind immediately goes to a number of characteristics that I do not want in my wine: sugar, jamminess, low acidity, plush or non-existent tannins, lack of structure, general boringness. I think of them as lowest common denominator wines, attractive perhaps to the largest number of consumers, but not to the most discerning. It seems George Nordahl agrees, but also gives a much more thorough treatment of what makes a wine “easy-drinking,” and the role these wines play in the overall market:
Vineyard Maintenance
Just a hearty Happy Holidays to all of you, and a thank you to those of you who have helped me get through a year that held many challenges. Your presence here means more than you know, and I appreciate each one of you who have supported me, my work here, and my journey in wine through being part of the conversation, sharing posts, subscribing, and offering your financial contributions. I am grateful.
The Best Thing I Drank This Week
This feature and a weekly food and wine pairing are offered as a gesture of thanks to paid subscribers.
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