All too often, in my ever so humble opinion, we lose sight of the meaning behind the holidays we celebrate.
Veterans Day and Memorial Day, for example, should be about more than backyard barbecues and three-day weekends. Depending on your beliefs, Easter should be about more than the Easter Bunny and a Halloween-like haul of candy.
And Thanksgiving should be about more than four-day weekends and all-you-can-eat feasts.
Of course, what sets Thanksgiving apart from those other holidays is the expectation of that food free-for-all and the opportunity it provides to do some creative wine pairing.
In between bites and sips yesterday, I took some time to reflect. This year, I am thankful for:
- The opportunity to travel to Europe this fall and experience the unique wines of three different countries — Spain, Switzerland and Austria. In an upcoming blog, I’ll share my thoughts on whether wines taste better when consumed in their place of origin.
- A fiancée who was more than willing to share those experiences with me, even though she has always preferred sweet wines exclusively. Michelle, thanks for being such a good sport, and opening your mind (and taste buds) to new wine experiences.
- A family that ensures no opened bottle of wine goes to waste. When my fiancée isn’t around, my son-in-law, Kelly, finishes off any unfinished bottles — even if that means making a Cabernet Sauvignon spritzer. And while my daughter, Tawny, still thinks that all wine smells “winey,” she did enjoy a few bottles of sparkling Moscato this year. Yes, I still have hope for her.
- The opportunity to work for a wine company like Vinesse. Writing about wine really isn’t work, but please don’t tell that to Vinesse founder and President Lawrence Dutra!
I hope you and yours had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with cherished memories and delicious wine.
