The Nose
For a long time I was a craft beer guy, but as I reached my thirties beer just left me feeling dehydrated and groggy. I started picking up Lidl wine for a whopping $3 and it tasted fine to me. Over time I slowly started spending a little more for a bottle of wine, maybe $20 if I was feeling fancy. A lot of this changed when I moved to our current house.
Only a five minute walk down the street is a wine shop, but not just any wine shop. This one is small, quaint, not boastful or trying to be something. This store is owned by Matt; a character that truly cares about wine. With his decades of experience he knows some of the best wine isn’t actually that expensive. Rare doesn’t always mean hundreds of dollars.
Matt introduced me into Italian wines, particularly northern Italy near the Dolomites. Today he was excited to get me something special, a wine he ordered months ago and it’s finally here. I open the bottle, pour it into my glass, and smell.
Something I forgot to mention is how I’ve learned to love the aromas of wine. Matt is the same way so it makes it easy for him to recommend bottles because they’re his favorites. There are some bottles of wine that I enjoy smelling more than tasting. The bottle I got this evening is no exception.
As soon as I put my ugly nose into that glass I was transported. I found myself deep in the green woods of a mountain. I could feel the mist and fog. I could smell the moss on the floor. Was I in northern Italy, or was I on the couch?
Either way, it was a damn good bottle of wine.
When you can, treat your senses to life’s humble gifts.