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These are the ongoing chronicles of a Sommelier-in-training, embarking on an adventure into the alluring and sometimes philosophical land of cocktails, food & wine...

Wednesday, 4 September 2013

“Haywire”


On a mission to leave my comfort zone and try some new wines, I’ve decided to explore and choose based on label alone.  I have this new theory that the labels that attract us are indicative of our spiritual state… a sort of wine clairvoyance, if you will.  So, choose, sip, twirl and discuss. 

In testing my theory, yesterday I found ‘Haywire’.  Fun label- caught my eye… and once sipping, caught my attention.

The name ‘Haywire’ is an interesting choice for such a solid sipper.  I was confused.  Upon first glance, the term denotes a sense of chaos, conflict, confusion.  The phrase “when things go haywire” seems to reflect a negative state, but upon further investigation I found, in the words of winery owners, Christine Coletta & Steve Lornie –

“ The term is also an apt description of our transition from city slickers to winery owners!”

Aaaaaah, transition. I see.  Change.  I get it.
Perfect.

I’m in a state of transition, I suppose.  Aren’t we all?  Someone I love is in an even deeper state – probably closer to “haywire” – and so I’ve deduced that this pinot gris was for him…

I was told in my wine courses, that Italian pinot grigio was generally fairly crisp, dry and neutral on the palate, easy to get along with (so to speak,) while a pinot gris in the French style was still dry but fuller-bodied, particularly from the Alsace region; Okanagan versions, however, were trickier to determine- you never know what you’re going to get.  Hmmm… such is life.

I watch my friend as he struggles, and I feel like we`re all on the precipice of… something… and yet nothing makes sense… yet.  We may always have all kinds of questions and no real answers, (especially after several glasses of wine…), and like this Okanagan pinot gris, you just never know what you’re going to get.  And maybe that’s ok, as long as you have someone to share it with.  So just stop for a second, breathe, and take another sip.

In the spirit of cheesy parables for life, here you go:

As we walk through the wine-shops of our strange little lives, choosing wines based solely on label-clairvoyance, perhaps we need to realize that no choice is a bad choice.  We just need to choose something.  Sometimes, what we want will depend on our mood, sometimes on our chaos, and sometimes it will depend on who we choose to share it with.  Whatever the case, we will have something to learn from it.  Stay cool, don`t get overwhelmed… and if the choice sucks, you just finish the bottle and move on to the next one.  Cheers.


Tasting Notes…


Haywire – 2011
Switchback Vineyard
Pinot Gris

Appearance:
-         Clear; Pale, Balanced, shimmering straw; W/ a light watery rim.
Nose:
-         Clean; Low-Medium intensity of young, fresh, green fruit.
Palate:
-         Dry, Light Body; Crisp flavours of Green Apple, with a Balanced Finish
-         Not really clear on determining acidity or alcohol quite yet… but it tastes multidimensional,
Quality:
-         Good Quality, Drink Now

** Makes me think of smooth, white pebbles, with a cool, fast stream running over them. 

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