Anticipating a Wine Tasting

The resort that we are currently visiting advertises a lot of events. One of them is a wine tasting. We like wine tastings, so we are going to try it out. The worst thing that could possibly happen is we drink really bad wine and learn nothing and have something to laugh about later.

While waiting though, I can reflect on what we should expect from something like this. Of course, the bar was raised very high on one of the first of these we ever did. It was in the cellar at a fine hotel whose highest end restaurant had received a Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence and was given to us by an Advanced Sommelier preparing to take his Master Sommelier test.

Yes, we tasted wine. Contrary to the belief of many, however, the purpose of one of these is not to get drunk. The purpose is to taste wine, to experience wine and to learn about what you are tasting. That's why the early one was so special. 

In it, we learned about differences in oak barrels, the rules of AOC Chateauneuf du Pape, that Beaucastel is legenary there for using all 13 of the then allowed red grapes in their wine most years, the effects of different glass shapes and the effects of different temperatures. That was cool.

Today my expectations are much lower. While there are two restaurants on site here that have won the first level Wine Spectator restaurant awards, I have no reason to believe that there is expertise beyond my small amount. And, I am not expecting any special wines. But, I'll be in the company of famuly and friends and that makes for a winner.

So, what do I actually expect? A little bit of food to go with small pours of roughly half a dozen wines. I expect that we will hear words like "red blend," but will have to ask what is blended, smooth or easy drinking because that is a great fall back term for people who really shouldn't be instructing, and Chardonnay because they seem to be in love with Chardonnay here.

All that is okay. Life is about experiences. I happen to like my wine experiences, but we can always expect something to make us smile whenever we are around people we like. In fact, it's a great lesson from the pandemic.

So, I don't expect the best wine or the best education, but I expect a fun time and that is plenty for me.

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