Pictured: VinTemp Corkscrew and Infrared Wine Thermometer
If this is a hard post to get excited about reading, then trust me, it is an unexciting post to write. People like me, we read about wine because we love it, we make it because we love it, we enjoy buying it because we love it. But there aren’t many people, I would imagine, who read about wine but don’t drink it, or make it but don’t drink it, or, and probably especially, buy it but don’t drink it (unless it’s a gift for someone else). But there is at least one situation in which someone who loves wine knows not to drink it: when they’re sick.
I’ve been sick this week and that’s meant having to pass up one opportunity to drink wine and postpone another. First world problems, I know, but nevertheless unfortunate ones. I have a standard cold, and thankfully it’s remained contained in my head. Just the typical sore throat and congestion. Putting aside the imprudence of drinking alcohol while sick, since I cannot smell, really at all, or taste much of anything, I know better than to drink wine.
On Thursday I oversaw a work dinner with 26 people and choose wine off a limited but tasty wine list at an upscale French bistro. Though the restaurant is different each time, I have the pleasure (and blessing) of doing this monthly and it’s something I look forward to each time. This week, however, was the worst, knowing that I should refrain from consuming for both the sake of my recovery and for the sake of the wine – good wine deserves being consumed by those who can appreciate and enjoy it.
I’ll admit, I still had a small glass of each just to see what I could pick out of each and I did have a revelation worth sharing: if you’re sick and you must have wine, a Pouilly Fuisse is much better than a Right Bank Bordeaux. The acidity and lighter body of the chardonnay was able to peak through the cold-induced smell and taste fog, and I was able to pick up on some of the pleasurable elements of the wine. Meanwhile, the subtler merlot-dominated blend remained dull and nothing more than a means to consume more calories.
I was also supposed to conduct my first winery visit this week for Good Vitis, but had to postpone the visit to a later date when my senses will be capable of giving the wine a fair shake. Something to look forward to, at least.
While I’m on the subject of when not to drink wine, I’ll make an attempt at being comprehensive. The following are five additional conditions in which loving wine means not drinking it:
Number one: when a wine is too young. This happened recently at a group tasting among wine collecting friends. A generous couple brought a magnum of a 2012 Cayuse Walla Walla Special #4 syrah. This wine is limited to wine list members (and auctions), and it was a real treat. Everyone had brought special bottles that afternoon, and I got excited when I saw this one for two reasons: first, I love Cayuse syrahs, and second, ‘why would you open a magnum of Cayuse syrah with less than 7 years, minimum, of bottle age?’ I’d have gone 10+ years myself. The wine was, indeed, quite good already, but as I drank it I knew it would be so much better if it were properly aged, and that was a disappointing thought to have while being afforded the opportunity to try it at any stage. Properly aged wine is ten times better than immature wine for me, even wine this good.
Number two: when it hasn’t properly been decanted. Few wine-related things get me more upset at seeing fantastic wine on restaurant wine lists that require more decanting time than the time I have between placing my order and my food arriving. A fine wine has optimum conditions under which to consume it, and by definition sub-optimum conditions as well. If I’m going to order a good wine – and pay a 200-300% premium for it – I want it showing its best possible face. Sadly, most restaurants aren’t bothered by this consideration and I end up ordering from the much more limited (and often lower quality) wines by the glass menu.
Number three: when the company isn’t right. For me, the enjoyment I get from good wine is always boosted if I drink it with the right person or people. With certain bottles that I buy – Washington Rhone varietals and Chablis especially – I know who I’m drinking it with before I even have the bottle in-hand. Bill shares my love of Washington syrah, and Hannah my love of Chablis, and when I pair the wine with the person it’s more impactful as the good food pairing we also line up for the occasion. When I do drink a savory Washington syrah without Bill, I always wonder what he’d think of it, and the same with respect to Chablis and Hannah. Their mutual love of these wines boosts my own.
Number four: when it’s under (or over) the weather. As the picture above suggests, wine is better when served at certain temperatures. This goes beyond whites around 50 and reds around 60 – each varietal has its own range that is inevitably influenced by the particularities of each bottle – but generally speaking, wine served at the wrong temperature underperforms.
Number five: when it’s unsettled. Much of the wine I buy is shipped to me direct from the winery or a specific wine retailer, and I always allow the wines a full month in the cellar to settle. Bottle Shock is more than just the name of an entertaining (and important) movie about wine.
So don’t drink wine if you’re sick (or if you do, make it a bright and lean bottle), or if it’s too young, or if you can’t decant it properly, or if you should have it with that certain special person, or if it’s too warm or cold, or if it’s unsettled. Beyond that, toast away.
