We are, of course, talking about drinking wine. But to be clear, I'm not going to really be drinking it, I'm going to be tasting it. There's a difference. Drinking involves not only the beverage, but all that goes with it - people, food, laughter (I hope), etc. Tasting is different. It's analysis, criticism, judgement, repetition. And spitting.
Anyway, this gets going at 0830. That's oh-eight-thirty for you non-military-type ninnies. But it's part of a very cool and surprisingly large wine competition. Nope, it's not the California State Fair - it's the Columbus Food & Wine Affair - the largest wine competition between San Francisco and New York.
Okay, maybe that's not entirely accurate - I'll be getting my facts straight in the morning. But it's big. Like last year they had 400 wines big. Stay tuned for more info on this event which culminates in the Grand Tasting next month.
"How wonderful for you", you're saying. It is. Kinda. But it's work.
Pal, writing sensei (and far more talented writer) Tom Johnson at Lousiville Juice wrote a great piece on the burdens of our common vocation titled 'Because Even Good Things Get Tiresome'. In it he makes reference to Hunter S. Thompson's reaction to when someone suggested how wonderful writing must be. For those of you over the age of consent, the full quote is below. Or as Joe Roberts put it so well in his piece on the same subject, these tastings are "...the equivalent of having a joy vacuum attached to my wine-loving soul and turned on full-blast."
Yeah.
Oh, the quiet suffering that goes on so that you may enjoy only the very best. Try to have a good weekend.
"I've always considered writing the most hateful kind of work. I suspect it's a bit like fucking, which is only fun for amateurs. Old whores don't do much giggling." (Hunter S. Thompson, on Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)