I’m an aspiring writer of poems (“poet” seems a bit… pretentious… at least at this point). Maybe you could make it broader and say that I’m just an aspiring writer. As such, I’m always finding the symbolism in this life. After all, what else is our consciousness except for symbols?
Philosophy and semantics aside, I’ve thought a lot about the symbolism inherent in wine. There’s a lot: the land as woman, the farmer as man (I know, I know–some might object to this rather antiquated system, but it’s there, and I’m sticking to it); the grapes as the land; the vineyard as the soul of the land. Etc., etc., etc.
Quite a few posts back I wrote about how one of my earliest experiences with wine was with an older, beautiful junior transfer of Spanish extraction. Her skin was tanned and smooth; her eyes dark, her lips full and sensual. She held a bottle of syrah and offered me a glass. It was as if she was offering me the essence of life.
Sometimes–luckily? unluckily?–I would find myself punch-drunk in love, holding someone close against me, my head spinning and heart beating in a way no substance could ever duplicate. The taste of lips–strawberry, raspberry… cherry… the vanilla of lip balm… the honey of her skin…
Before I complete this piece of erotica, I want to list a few people in my life and compare them to the wines I’ve had. I’ll only list them by their initials:
(1) S. P. | A wine from the Languedoc–possibly l’Esprit du Silene: beautiful, seductive, loads of flavor. This is not a simple wine; nor was it a simple woman. One taste left you wanting more. Or, conversely, she could be like a nice champagne–Veuve Clicquot–effervescent, fun, and extremely classy. Or maybe the Ampelos Rosé of Syrah: refreshing, thirst-quenching, lively, and strawberry blonde.
(2) E. Y. | The Montlouis chenin blanc from François Chidaine: smooth, supple, honeyed, and slightly sweet, though this sweetness is offset by a bit of acidity. One of the few whites I absolutely love.
(3) A. B. | The Sea Smoke Southing pinot noir: refined, graceful, and yet, possessing a whollop!
(4) K. Y. | This new Pleiades XVI from Sean H. Thackrey. I opened it yesterday–my mom loved it!–and finished it off today. It stood up to everything, even fried chicken and oranges. Awesome wine. Fiery, intoxicating aroma, beautiful color. Delicious, long finish.
(5) J. C. | A malbec–maybe the Maipe malbec from posts past. Dark, velvety. Tight grip of tannins that open to a full, voluptuous body.
(6) S. H. | A shiraz: loves Australia, loves chocolate. Smooth, easy-drinking, great match for almost any situation. Probably like the Thorn Clarke Shotfire Ridge.
(7) Me! | Dunno. Probably the Charles Cimicky Trumps grenache / shiraz: mouth-filling, delicious, memorable, and short finish!
Any thoughts? What sort of wine would YOU be?
Vinicultured: A Wine Blog 
Probably a Riesling – light, refreshing, perfect for that after-dinner wind down, dessert, and light conversation, a starter for perhaps an even wilder evening…
Barolo. Focused, intense and sometimes almost impenetrable. Although sometimes so tight as to be disagreeable, if you are able to coax it right and be patient a world of depth awaits.
i have to say…what you have written is quite lovely. i feel so special that you think that of me 🙂 and in honor of that…i went out to a very cute and quaint wine bar last night and drank shiraz just for you…and it was WONDERFUL! considering i dont know much about wine, i would have to agree that shiraz is quite a nice choice. ill be sure to be on the lookout for something delicious to bring back for you….(wine that is…along with a wonderful spanish poetry book!)
Red Table. At first glance or thought, you might dismiss the red table wine for common wine, not worthy for your time… in the hands of a master, though, there are some red table wines that rival the standards. That would be me… pretty normal, plain, and underwhelming when you look at me. When you get to know me, though, you see the depth, complexity, and hidden wonder. Ok… that was cheesy, but the words were just flowing… 🙂