Sommelier Notes for April
by Bill Summerville
Slowing the Pace of Time With Wines That Demand Your Attention
For many years I’ve debated what is more satisfying the anticipation of an event or the event itself. As a child I would almost burst with excitement as Christmas approached. Day by day my anticipation grew and grew. And then in a whirlwind of tearing gifts open it would be over.
Wine collectors will wait until they think a wine is at its peak before opening it and then it is gone in a matter of hours, savored of course, but gone none-the-less after waiting years to open it.
As an adult I experienced a similar anticipation as Christmas. Remember the woman I travelled to Provence to meet, (Provence Edition) to drink rosé with? We stayed in contact to say the least, but lived long distance. The anticipation of our reunions made me feel like a little kid, again, but of course our time would fly by and we’d be saying goodbye to each other too soon.
The First Moment, Slowing the Pace of Time
During one reunion we were driving from France to Italy. We were on our way to a winery and staying at their bed and breakfast. It was late, very dark and we were about ninety minutes past our arrival time. We were welcomed by two elderly women and a man of the same age. They had been waiting for us long past their normal hours. After our apologies and checking in I asked if we could get some cheese and bread to eat in our room as we did not want to be any more of a nuisance. With that they ushered us over to a table in the little dining area. They set utensils and brought out plates of salumi, braised beef and cheese. It was akin to being welcomed home by one’s grandparents. Seeing what they were doing I ordered their best bottle of Barolo. I wish it had been more expensive. Minutes later I felt the stress of a long day of driving melt away and the food and wine literally reach my fingertips. We looked up at each other, smiled and took in that long, quiet moment.
From there we learned the art of slowing the pace of time. At first these moments would happen spontaneously, but sometimes I’d look up at her while she was absorbed in the food, wine or movie and give her a little nudge and then she’d smile. Eventually we created little rituals or tricks that caused us to take in the moment until it became a natural part of our time together.
As Jamie says this is lusty, luxurious food that should be listened to.
The food of France and especially that of Lyon is lusty and it’s far too easy to get lost in a whirlwind of foie gras and lobster or tearing into the pastry of truffle soup like a Christmas gift and losing sight of the food and company.
Drink quiet wines, wines that make you come to them
One of the ways we would slow the pace of time was by drinking “quiet” wines. These are wines that do not jump out of the glass. They reveal themselves slowly, they speak to you softly and make you pay attention as they unfurl in the glass exposing layer after layer of nuance. They keep you coming back.
A favorite of ours was the 1998 Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blancs champagne (she said it made her feel like Jackie Kennedy sailing off of Martha’s Vineyard.) Older wines, specifically champagne tend to be quiet as they need time to shake off the cobwebs to show their intriguing complexity. Older burgundy, barolo and barbaresco can be stunning in a similar manner.
Now these wines will be expensive so think about younger wines as an alternative. They too can be quiet as well as compact, restrained and confusing. A younger wine has not evolved or become itself so you are only getting a glimpse of what it might become and for that reason you again keep going back to it. If you like, decant it and the aeration will help it evolve.
Lighter white wines like Austrian gruner veltliners or rieslings can be reserved and delicate. I find them incredibly compelling in a simple way. They are definitely wines that makes you lean in. Decant these too, but place the decanter in a bowl or bucket of ice-water to preserve the temperature.
Lighter reds, those that fall between rosé and red can also be quiet in a charming way.
Malbec, cabernet sauvignon new world syrah, chateauneuf du pape and most wines from warm climates will not be quiet wines. However enjoyable, these beasts will jump out of the glass leaving little mystery.