Wine is a travel experience
Feel free to embrace it wide-eyed and whole-heartedly!
It’s one of the central tenets of Vininspo!: “Wine is a travel experience.”
But what does that even mean?
Well, let me start with this: Too much (read almost all) content in this realm starts with the premise that wine is somehow special. Of course, wine is somehow special, otherwise why would Vininspo! even exist?
But it isn’t special in the way they make you think it is.
Wine is actually wholly relatable. The fermented juice of fruit grown by people in nature. It’s straightforward.
If you drink wine and count it as part of your culture, you’re fortunate.
But again, you’re not fortunate in the way they’d have you believe.
You’re lucky because you have the wherewithal to avail yourself of a drink that exists for pleasure. You won’t die without it but you have a good chance of living better with it.
But here’s the point. It’s not “special” in the sense that it’s the preserve of the initiated, the in-crowd, the elite. And you’re not “fortunate” in the sense that you’ve been granted access by the beneficence of some omniscient deity.
There should be no barrier to entry to this sphere. I’d love to see as many ordinary people as possible participate in the world of wine. To feel they belong; to feel their voice deserves to be heard; to feel their curiosity is welcome.
I came to wine via travel. I was a restless wanderer from a young age. I studied languages because I loved unlocking the mysteries of a place. Otherness was a thing of fascination. I wanted to hear the voices of others, feel their energy, sense their personality.
A bottle of wine contains mysteries; we’re the traveller knocking at its door. And the precious innocence the traveller brings should be warmly welcomed.
I know I’ve been shown outrageous kindness by strangers as I’ve travelled the world. My countless stupid questions have been greeted not by scoffs and scorn but by patience and a will to have me understand. If anything, my ignorance has been accepted as a token in exchange for enlightenment.
We live in times where fleeting, second-hand impressions stand in for first-hand experience. But away from the smartphone screen we surely know that there’s no substitute for living the moment.
The world around us is fascinating. Its palette of sights, sounds and tastes is so rich and varied. The layers of history and possibilities of the future. And perhaps we forget that love and friendship go far beyond what we might have now. People, for all their faults, are amazing.
What’s special about wine is that it brings together all this wonder. You’re fortunate because it’s all right in front of you.
As with travel, there’s no one set journey, no universal itinerary, no ultimate destination. There are endless meandering, criss-crossing paths. Each of these is lined with sensations and surprises.
The way to navigate them is to pay attention. Look. Sniff, Taste. Listen. Talk. Learn. On the way you might change your mind. That’s fine. You’ll get good advice, take-or-leave tips and unwanted input.
But – and here’s the important bit – the person leading the way is you. Every single step can be more rewarding than the last. Every prior experience illuminates the next moment. This is about the journey, and the journey is life.
By paying attention – to sensory sensations and the worldly detail around wine (Who made it? What from? Where? When? How?) - you’ll write your own inner travelogue.
That journal you pen in your imagination informs and enriches future experiences. And – like the traveller emboldened to speak up and become immersed – it makes the world light up and open a little wider.
