Navigating the world while trying to operate outside societal norms can be difficult. When everyone in your friend group or family works a Monday-through-Friday, 9-5 job and you are the one jetsetting twice a month and calling multiple places home, it can be quite a challenge to maintain relationships. I have been able to find a way to maintain relationships (mostly) even though my life doesn’t make sense to most people. It doesn’t make sense to me most of the time either, but that is a conversation for another time. But one of the things that has been difficult for me is finding a way to navigate the wine world. My friends like wine. My dates like wine. Clients like wine. It is like the Roman Empire all over again, every time I go somewhere, someone is trying to pour me a bourdeau or a prosecco, or a riesling, or something or other that I don’t know or understand. They are inviting me to wine tastings. They are trying to refine my palette.
But here is the rub. I really hate wine. Lately, I have considered myself a person intensely dedicated to brown beverages. I am a coffee in the morning, bourbon in the evening, and cola in between kind of man. And I like it that way. Navigating the culture of what wine goes with what meal is overwhelming and overcomplicated in my head. Coffee goes with every breakfast or dessert. Pepsi and Coke go with burgers and pizza every time. And, let’s face it, bourbon goes with anything. So, why am I ranting about wine? Because I got an opportunity to visit the Susana Balbo winery in Mendoza, Argentina. Did I accept an invitation simply for the opportunity to sample Argentinian meat (which may be the best in the world)? You’re damn right I did. Did I learn that I didn’t hate wine as much as I thought, and there is a way to survive wineries when everyone around you loves it but you don’t? Sure did. And here is how you can, too.
Utilize the tastings
Step one – the wineries have actually done the job for you. They literally sit you down with the specific purpose of finding something you like. Now, for me, when the sommelier asked me what I like, I answered with, “bourbon.” Of course, I was being cheeky instead of giving the straight answer that I hadn’t found a wine I like. But I am not as original as I thought because he just smiled and said, “Challenge accepted.”So he set out to find five wines that he thought would give me a similar body and flavor profile to my cherished brown beverage.
Was there a bourbon-flavored wine? Unfortunately no. But what I found was a sweet white (Late Harvest Torrontes) that surprised me. It was light, crisp, and sweet. And, go figure, it pairs perfectly with desserts and cheeses. Is there anything I love more than desserts and cheese? Not likely. The point is that I went into the wine tasting with a chip on my shoulder. I don’t like wine. So why am I even trying? Well, I was going to be indulging in wines for the entire weekend, so I needed to find a wine I didn’t hate.
Embrace the lore
I may be a one-of-one in this part of the experience. I am a man who loves a good story. A story behind something increases the taste from good to great. From mediocre to good. Or from great to mind-blowing. A good story can emotionally connect you to something and switch your brain to be more accepting. My best example of this is Larceny Bourbon (stick with me, this comes back around, I promise). An old Treasury agent used his keys to enter rickhouses and steal bourbon. Siphoning off the best of the best and leaving light barrels. They named the bourbon Larceny (because that was what he was charged with) and put in a tag line “A taste made famous by an infamous act.” This story is one of my favorites, making Larceny Bourbon one of my all-time favorite bourbons.
The story of Susana Balbo and how she became Argentina’s first female winemaker is one that will spark inspiration in anyone. But she didn’t stop with breaking gender barriers in 1981. After enduring sabotaged equipment and boycotts from people who didn’t want her in the industry, she revolutionized the white grape. Taking what was once a simple table wine and turning it into Argentina’s premium white wine offering, she became known as the Queen of Torrontes. Inspiration, dedication, innovation, and growing into a family business that includes your children? Who could ask for more? Anyone who tastes the wine actually…they ask for more. As I was listening to the story, I found myself mindlessly drinking her creation and asking for more.
Open your mind
Life is about experimentation. Like I said at the beginning, I am a brown beverage guy. But here is the truth: I wasn’t a coffee guy until 2021. Then I adopted Black Rifle Coffee because I loved the story and now I am a two to four cup a day man. I didn’t love bourbon until I heard about the infamous act. Now…well, it is none of your business how much bourbon I drink. The point is that adopting some of my favorite things has become about opening my mind to new things. Wineries and wine tastings were off my list. They were off my radar. But Susana Balbo’s story changed my mind.
For you, if you are like me and you are hesitant to open yourself up to wine while your significant other is always ready to pop a cork, I have an idea for you. Gain some points with a trip down to Mendoza, where you can stay at the resort near the winery. They have literal spas in the rooms. They have the best meat I have ever tasted. They do cooking classes. They do cocktail classes (that’s right, I had an old fashioned on my wine trip). Not to mention, the easiest introduction to wine you will find.
Bonus: You will get some pretty insane brownie points for your seemingly sacrificial act of tolerating wine for their happiness. You’re welcome.
