Playing the Field...

It’s been a rocky few months.  But the dust might finally be settling.

It’s funny, when life suddenly gets all turned around, it can be easy to lose sight of what you really want.  Or need.  In times of deep confusion or sadness, when you find that you’ve lost your way… you may find that you have also lost your palette.  Nothing is interesting anymore, and all the flavours you thought you loved suddenly taste a bit sour and flat.  Everything you knew seems so complicated, you question whether you ever really had any taste at all.

Take some time out.  Embrace the confusion. Try drinking beer for a bit.

But once you are able to drag yourself back into the world, you must be brave and do something that will shake some life back into your senses…

My first piece of advice would be: leave the country.  Go somewhere where the flavours are all new and foreign and exciting.  Somewhere you can leave it all behind and find out who you really are.

So I went to Bali.

Once you’ve done that, and you get home and over the jetlag, my second piece of advice would be:  Open yourself up to new paths and potential.  See the world of new possibility…

Escape to Osoyoos. :)

Rent a car, grab a girlfriend and go.  Take in the scenery, smell the orchards, drive up and down those lovely winery roads.  Most importantly- get back out there and play the field.  Now is the time to explore, when you’re allowed to see what you really do like.  But where to begin?  It had been so long since I’d had the opportunity to try new wines, it seemed.  How do you know where to start? Well, you have to take chances.  Be brave.  Sip everything.

What stuck me right away were the unique personalities of each winery- and each wine.  Some were open and chatty- I liked them right away.  Like Church & State.  The reps were easy to get along with and had a great vibe.  I enjoyed the tasting there like a great first date- you don’t necessarily know where it’s going to go, it may not be your destiny, but it was easy and fun and left me primed to go out again.

Some intrigued me, like Moon Cursor, drawing me in with its tales of the smuggling days and glowing, narrative labels.  With names like, ‘Afraid of the Dark’ & ‘Dead of Night’, their blends were among my favourites of the week.  The combination of sly storytelling and intelligent discourse by the owner, with the complex but smooth wines made this winery a top contender for my heart.

One by one, we checked off our list.  We had lunch and bubbles on the patio at Hester Creek (some of the best food in the area), polite conversation at Tinhorn and an amazing dinner overlooking the vineyard at Burrowing Owl (highly recommended!)  Black Hills had some amazing wines, though the tasting fee was the highest we encountered at $22 + tax.  Nk'mip had by far the best tasting host… (He really should have his own show.)

Some were surprisingly fun, while some didn’t quite live up to my expectations.  After a few in a row, I definitely needed a break… some time to reflect on what I wanted to do next.  All these little tastes were forcing me to consider what I was really looking for.

Wine, like men, can be fickle.  The ones that seem so appealing in theory, don’t always live up to their bravado and others that you may have previously overlooked turn out to make your skin tingle.  There are the brash, bold, in-your-face types, and the smooth and stylish.  Some are spicy… exciting, and there are those that a bit rough and tumble- straight off the farm- but fresh and super tasty.  Some are so pretty to look at, but when you actually spend some time alone, they are not quite as perfect as they seemed in your mind.  And some, sadly, just turned out to be little fruity for my taste.

I have to say, I find I still prefer the straightforward, honest types- like at one of my new favourite wineries Young and Wyse.  Their new wines were like the best kind of partner- open, friendly and accessible, with just a little bit of an edge.  Intelligent and multifaceted, with an addictive quality.  The kind you can have a great conversation with- there’s enough going on to keep you interested, but not so much that you feel like you’re spinning- sexy, smooth and fresh, with a twinkle in his eye that promises a great end to the evening…

As each wine crossed my lips... I felt a part of my spirit return.  It’s good to remember who you are.  It’s nice to have a wine treat you so well.  And I thought, this is what I deserve- how had I forgotten.

As I spent my last few pennies on my favourites, (and sensed my credit card begin to smoke and sputter,) I drove home to bask in the afterglow of this affair.  And as I was unpacking all my trophies, and carefully laying them on my wine rack, I noticed a lone bottle already tucked away in the back.  A wine I thought to be completely over.  A wine I used to love, but had recently given me a massive headache.  I eyed it with a bit of disdain and regret, but since I wasn’t ready to uncork, and thus spoil, some of my newest romances, I decided to have a bedtime sip of my old flame. 

It was nice.  Despite the headaches, there was promise there.  Maybe it just needed to age a bit.  Sometimes, you have to go off into the world in order to taste things a bit differently.

I may still have to taste a few wines… but just like that… I found myself falling back in love.

Dammit.