Who's Your Pusherman?

memories made

Or How I Fell Deeply In Love With Wine

I recently got to thinking about how I developed such a deep and abiding passion and curiosity for wine. My life has been essentially two chapters - chapter one was gin and tonic, while chapter two has been wine. Now I know this is all more than a bit self-serving, but I very rarely allow myself this kind of reverie. Not to mention, it's my blog, so I'll blog about whatever I want to blog about! Now that we got that out of the way it's time for you to make that sound that Wayne and Garth made when they entered their dreamworld.

It was some 20-years-ago that I met my beautiful wife, Julie, and with that momentous meeting came a crash course in fine wine consumption. It all began over dinner with my future in-laws. Pops, as I call him now, had a penchant for good wines from some of the world's most reputable producers. What would soon become an every Sunday ritual was my formal introduction to the wines of California, Oregon, Washington, France, Australia, Spain, Italy, and Portugal.

Within a matter of mere weeks my vocabulary had expanded to include more than a few buzzwords and catch phrases that now, when I think back to those days, I can only chuckle to myself in a sort of pained amusement. Words like minerality and tannic had no business spilling from between my lips, let alone from my glass. Of course, as time passed, I gradually became cognizant of the meaning of those terms, but to this very day, I still struggle to cobble together cogent descriptions of some wines feeling that my vocabulary is less than adequate.

From Pops I would learn the basics of wine during our once-a-week tours of the world's great wine producing regions. One Sunday would be spent quaffing Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay and reveling in the fact that a passable wine could be had for a mere $5.99! Then there were the Thanksgiving dinners that would feature a tour de force of fine wines starting with an exotic Alsatian Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noirs from the Russian River Valley and Carneros regions, and finally topping the festivities off with one of my favorite after dinner drinks, a 10 year old tawny port.

vineyards of Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru in Burgundy

With my ever-expanding exposure to wine I became curious as to what the entire vine-to-wine process actually entailed. A subsequent trip to Burgundy, including a picnic at the foot of the famed Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, ignited what has blossomed into a full blown fascination with the concept of terroir and an unceasing amazement that it's possible that so many scents and flavors can be contained in a single glass of wine!

I am thrilled to report that my interest in wine is as keen today as it was during those early days of discovery. While my preferences have shifted over time, I continue to treasure those times when I can share my enthusiasm for wine with others. It's a big world of almost countless flavors out there and I am ready to taste as much as I can!