To whine, or to wine

To whine or not to wine...that is the question. This afternoon I attended a wine tasting at my favorite wine store, Vino100. The wines were diverse and worth trying, but the people watching was off the charts. First let me say, cougars in pursuit of their prey are not very attractive. Unfortunately, these women WERE attractive, but they were pursuing 2 young men, friends of mine, quite deliberately.

So what is it about wine that encourages people to drop the pretense and go for what they really want? And what is it that we really want? Companionship? Courtship? a great quickie? These gals struck me as two capable competent women who were not sure what they wanted in a romantic social setting.

And does this not beg the question, do I? Do I know what I want out in an adult social setting? Personally I enjoy the banter of conversation with people I may never see again, I enjoy discussing wines I've tried and labels I've heard about but haven't had the opportunity to sample. I'm not trying to be above the crowd...I was in the crowd, one of them. However, being a married woman alone in a situation like this causes one to ponder...

It wasn't just an evening for cougars, there were singles on dates, young newbies trying to learn a thing or two about the grape, older couples who knew TONs about the grape, and married couples who fell somewhere in between. There were single women huddled together, there were college age kids who were with one couples' mom...that was neat to witness. That group in particular had made peace with all of the social garbage surrounding the mom/kid relationship and were actually having a good time. Maybe that means there's hope for the rest of us.

So to whine, or to wine. For me it's the wine. I am a petite Syrah addict. I adore most red wines and only a very few whites. Peter & Tim did a great job, as usual, selecting wines which will appeal to a wide audience. I did enjoy the 2006 Montes Alpha Syrah, Tim's favorite. But my favorite of the evening was the 2005 Mapema Malbec. I happen to like Malbec but have found that most people I know don't really fancy this varietal which is a shame.

Try something new--try something you've never heard of! Wine is to be enjoyed, not studied and snobbied. Drink an amazing Zinfandel with your next steak. Take a bottle of Vino Verde to the first picnic of the spring--people will be amazed at the difference!

Wine is one of my favorite indulgences in life. What's yours?