Gotta Love It...

Posted 03/12/2008 at 12:30 PM by Dirk

Last weekend we had Nickel & Nickel's Spring Release tasting. There were lots of our wine club members, friends, and even those new recruits who were curious enough to stop in and try our latest single-vineyard wines.

The wines were great and people had fun (I think) but there was one conversation that day that stands out in my mind. It reminded me why we work at these wineries. It's simple. We love wine.  It seems sort of obvious doesn't it?

I was working (pouring 2006 Spring Hill and 2006 Manzana Pinot Noir) with Dan who sells our wines throughout San Francisco and other parts of Northern California. We ended up talking about wine (predictable). We spoke of Oregon Pinot, Russian River Pinot, and of course, Burgundy. (We can be geeky with the best of 'em.) Nothing is too unusual in all of that.

What I remember is that we ended up talking about "The Best" wine we had ever drunk. (I separate drinking and tasting when it comes to "The Best".)  It wasn't the fact that both of us mentioned Burgundies (we did) that sticks in my mind. Instead, it was obvious that both of us had an enthusiasm and basic love for wine and what we do.

This conversation wasn't a "production guy" (me) going on about yeast strains, barrel toast levels, or brix levels versus a "sales guy" (Dan) delving into prices, account placements, and promotional programs. This was a couple of wine lovers sharing memories of wines that were unforgettable. (It might have been "geeky verging on snobby" in that the wines were as unobtainable as they were unforgettable.)

The funny thing is that there are a whole lot of wine lovers working here. Some are in the cellar. Some are in the vineyards. Some work in hospitality while others are in sales. (We even admit that the accounting/ finance world at Far Niente is infected with wine lovers.) It is funny but this naturally leads to how we enjoy it, find ways to improve it, and most of all, share it through a love of wine.

At the Spring Release tasting there were about eight different single-vineyard wines, and the most common question was, "Which one is the best?" Fortunately, we are used to this, we know how to cop out, and let them know that they should figure out which wine appeals most to them. 

I hope that you have a "personal best" and that you find something even finer to take its place on memory lane.

P.S. I have enjoyed my personal favorite eight times. After the first time, I knew to expect that it was "the best" and yet each time it was better than my words or memories could fully capture or appreciate.  I have had the same experience with a handful of paintings (that were in museums).

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