There are certain moments in life that can make you take an 180° degree turn, see the world differently, yourself and the people around you.
Have you ever entered a place and felt you are eventually where you actually belong to?
In my case, this feeling has occurred twice; once at an airport and once at a wine tasting room.
For obvious reasons, I’ll keep it to the wine tasting rooms for now.
If you imagine vast plains of perfectly lined up vines, and a huge, imposing castle in the most preferred sight of the vineyard, you are right and that is totally breathtaking!
But, I believe those little tasting rooms in the most unexpected corners of the city have a charm like no other.
Two-three tables, if you’re lucky, local or international production, wines made with love and passion, and last but not least, a whole-hearted person sharing with you the stories of their wines.
When in Rome
…during one of my wine courses, off the city centre, in the neighbourhood of San Paolo, I found myself exploring wines of small production. 4-10 bottles available in store, and a super polite man making me feel like home. An impromptu cheese and crackers platter, and a little bit of everything when it came into wine. It didn’t matter that we couldn’t speak the same language; I could clearly understand he loved every single bottle that was in his store and he definitely had a story to share for every one of them.
When in Greece
…on summer vacation, you simply cannot avoid mixing with the locals. Crete is a huge island though, and my ultimate paradise for that local feeling was to visit a small vineyard up on the mountain. A backyard, traditional rusks, olives and a taste of their whites, roses and reds. When you simply love your life for exploring such a true passion for wine.
When in San Francisco
…a hot summer day, with no-one to drive you to the vineyards, and a 40hour layover? Yes, that’s me! And I end up right in the city centre of San Francisco, in a little, tiny tasting room of the iconic Château Montelena. Heavy wood, yellow lighting, and five-six people capacity. Stories and wines, people passing by, and the poor sommelier trying to answer all my questions that made me find out that as of 2017 there were still some bottles left of the ’73 Chardonnay, part of were eventually donated to charity auctions.
When in Barcelona
… a friend suggested that wine shop with “great selection mainly from Spain”. What a liar! A big marble table was sitting in the middle of the small shop, surrounded by ceiling to floor wine fridges and a wine selection to cry for! International, organic, biodynamic, local, small, big producers, grapes that I had never heard before… anything you could ever wish for. It was there that I had finally managed to distinguish the various forms of sherry, cause they had them all! Always appreciative!
When in New Zealand
One of my very best tasting experiences was in Waiheke island, just off Auckland. The scenery, the atmosphere, the feeling you’re at the end of the world, the people, all combined under small vineyards sites that let you taste the flavours of their produce, in the most casual, elegant approach that only kiwis know how to deliver.
What was it there for me after all?
My 5 wine appreciations:
- Wine brings people together. From anywhere to everywhere.
- Wine tastes even better in its home and paired better with food that grows right next to it.
- Wine is a culture that shares the same language and speaks directly to the heart… well, of most.
- Wine is an elegant sport that gathers people who definitely know how to appreciate the pleasures of life.
- Wine sparks ideas and creates beautiful stories to tell.
I could not be more grateful for the experiences I’ve had the chance to live all around the world, and that was mainly because of my hunting after the wines’ flavours.
If it hadn’t been in your plans till now, just add at least one tasting room experience in your next visit to a wine country. Trust me!