Blog Tracker
27-09-2023, 18:40
Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://boakandbailey.com/2023/09/resisting-the-urge-to-get-into-wine/)
We don’t want to overthink wine the way we overthink beer. But it’s getting harder to resist the temptation to take notice, and take notes.
We don’t drink much wine generally. Believe it or not, we really like beer.
It tends to happen when we’re on holiday somewhere where the wine is better, or at least more ubiquitous, than the beer.
So, in our minds, there’s a basic association of wine equalling holiday vibes.
And because we’re not fussy, we’ve generally been happy with a €6 bottle from the nearest supermarket or the house red or white in whichever bar we’ve washed up in.
Which is quite handy when you’re on a budget, in a global cost of living crisis.
But we can feel the pull – the urge to learn just a little more. To start sniffing and taking notes. Maybe to pick up a book or two.
This is partly because we’ve become more and more interested in “what’s local to this place”.
When you encounter a wine that’s got strong associations with a particular region or city, that they’re proud of, it feels rude and stupid not to ask a few questions.
It’s also partly because Jess went on an ‘Introduction to wine tasting’ session via the Women’s Institute.
They have talks on all sorts of subjects, from witchcraft to the Mafia, via butchery.
But this was a more genteel evening of guided exploration, flavour wheels, and enough information on the methodology to get the brain whirring.
And, finally, it’s because when you’re used to talking about how beer tastes in terms of ‘notes’, it’s hard to resist doing it for other drinks.
It’s simply a habit.
Even while resisting, we’ve started to spot characteristics in some wines we like more than others.
And to detect patterns when it comes to grape varieties or places of origin or common descriptors.
The truth is, it feels satisfying to be discovering new things after almost two decades immersed in beer, with not too much (easy stuff) left to learn.
The nice little wine bar on Church Road in Bristol (https://nativevine.co.uk/), about 20 minutes from our house, is extremely tempting.
We’ve been once and found ourselves feeling the same buzz we used to get sitting in a craft beer bar circa 2010.
We haven’t been back, of course. We are trying to resist. How long we’ll hold out remains to be seen.
Resisting the urge to ‘get into’ wine (https://boakandbailey.com/2023/09/resisting-the-urge-to-get-into-wine/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)
More... (https://boakandbailey.com/2023/09/resisting-the-urge-to-get-into-wine/)
We don’t want to overthink wine the way we overthink beer. But it’s getting harder to resist the temptation to take notice, and take notes.
We don’t drink much wine generally. Believe it or not, we really like beer.
It tends to happen when we’re on holiday somewhere where the wine is better, or at least more ubiquitous, than the beer.
So, in our minds, there’s a basic association of wine equalling holiday vibes.
And because we’re not fussy, we’ve generally been happy with a €6 bottle from the nearest supermarket or the house red or white in whichever bar we’ve washed up in.
Which is quite handy when you’re on a budget, in a global cost of living crisis.
But we can feel the pull – the urge to learn just a little more. To start sniffing and taking notes. Maybe to pick up a book or two.
This is partly because we’ve become more and more interested in “what’s local to this place”.
When you encounter a wine that’s got strong associations with a particular region or city, that they’re proud of, it feels rude and stupid not to ask a few questions.
It’s also partly because Jess went on an ‘Introduction to wine tasting’ session via the Women’s Institute.
They have talks on all sorts of subjects, from witchcraft to the Mafia, via butchery.
But this was a more genteel evening of guided exploration, flavour wheels, and enough information on the methodology to get the brain whirring.
And, finally, it’s because when you’re used to talking about how beer tastes in terms of ‘notes’, it’s hard to resist doing it for other drinks.
It’s simply a habit.
Even while resisting, we’ve started to spot characteristics in some wines we like more than others.
And to detect patterns when it comes to grape varieties or places of origin or common descriptors.
The truth is, it feels satisfying to be discovering new things after almost two decades immersed in beer, with not too much (easy stuff) left to learn.
The nice little wine bar on Church Road in Bristol (https://nativevine.co.uk/), about 20 minutes from our house, is extremely tempting.
We’ve been once and found ourselves feeling the same buzz we used to get sitting in a craft beer bar circa 2010.
We haven’t been back, of course. We are trying to resist. How long we’ll hold out remains to be seen.
Resisting the urge to ‘get into’ wine (https://boakandbailey.com/2023/09/resisting-the-urge-to-get-into-wine/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)
More... (https://boakandbailey.com/2023/09/resisting-the-urge-to-get-into-wine/)