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Posted by Mari Stull

How Did Cat Pee* Get in My Wine?

How Did Cat Pee* Get in My Wine?

And what about that tobacco, earth, honeysuckle, grass, apricot, barnyard, oak, butter, or plum?

These are but 1/10th of the adjectives used to describe some common characteristics of that juice you sipped last night.  I’m guilty of using every one of them.  Seems crazy that a glass of fermented grape juice can be so nuanced, complex, and layered (hey – I think I’ve used those words in my wine reviews, too) as to elicit so many descriptions.  I try to keep most of the more cryptic descriptions to a minimum when writing or chatting about wine, but when I’m with other wine industry colleagues, the effusive adjectives come flying out of my mouth between my sips.  

And whenever my husband observes me in the throes of our blathering wine descriptors, he tells me I am going into “cult mode.”

Now, since he’s usually drinking a beer when he makes such observations, I tend to dismiss him out of hand.  But, today I saw a video of Tom Cruise obsessing incoherently about Scientology , and I thought – there, by the Grace of God, go I…

Tom Cruise Factor:
•    Single minded obsession (still looking for my perfect Bordeaux)
•    Speaking in code (wine spent 6 months on the lee and 100% malo)
•    Contempt for those not in the cult (you would like…a….beer!???)
•    Irrational exuberance (still get all giddy thinking about that Harlan Estate Red)

Check out Tom in the video

Are you or a loved one suffering the same cult-like symptoms with wine?  If so, loosen up.  Enjoy your next glass of wine without analyzing it -just say it’s “good” or “rot-gut”.  Or better yet, just hush up and enjoy…

I’m trying it tonight…no reviews this column.

Cheers!

The Vino Vixen

*A common description for Sauvignon Blanc (really)

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