Friday, February 26, 2010

Food, Wine and Poetry ... a trifecta for the soul

SF Noir, an organization focused on arts and culture, is in it's 9th year celebrating Black History Month and this year's focus was all things culinary.  On the second night of SF Noir, I tasted wines from a select group of winemakers and listened to their stories.  Later, poets talked lyrically of their fierce and deep connection with food.  The food demons that cause us to over-indulge and the foods that take us to our most cherished moments with loved ones.  I listed to their stories with wine on the tongue and thought, what better way for a wine enthusiast to express their connection to the grape but to make poetry in a bottle.

Kendric Vineyards presented the '07 Shenandoah Valley Syrah.  The winemaker suggested that the hints of orange peel and rosemary in the wine may go well with hearty foods, and interestingly, paired perfectly with the roasted chicken with lemon he had for dinner.  Although when it came to pairing wines with food, he too is still learning and would be going to a class this weekend.  The gregarious owner of 19th Hole Wine talked about his big, bold 2007 Dry Creek Merlot going well with saucy meat dishes.  He's not only the owner but also a professional golfer.  I asked what he role he plays at the winery, and his response, "I'm everything!"  While tasting the Vinas 3 Pinot Noir, I asked the reps how the winemaker came up the name Row Eleven.  Within California, the winemaker examined all the vineyards and appellations, and decided the best rows were row 11.  Huh?  The wisdom of the ages was about to be passed down but no time, Poetri was about to hit the stage.

What does wine have to do with poetry?  Everything!  It's about chemistry, a particular mix, formula mixed with art. 
  • A haiku is 17 syllables, 1st line 5, 2nd line 7, 3rd line 5.  
  • Ed's Red 2007 AD is 46% Syrah, 39% Zin, 13% Petit Sirah, 4% Cab Franc, 1% Petit Verdot
Add the artist's personal style, method of incubation, timing of delivery, presentation, and what results is a unique ryhme and rythm of taste, harmony, and emotion.

The poet Lynne Alicia Elman, a strict vegan, talked of her struggle to find balance between natural foods and enjoying food.  How many wine drinkers struggle between drinking what Wine Spectator rates highly and just drinking what you like, even if it is Two Buck Chuck.  The poet Josh Healey urges, "Just be consistent."  So if I'm a vegan, should I only limit myself to organic wines?  It seems so limiting.  The poet Kirya Traber talked of banishing eggplant from her life since adolensce.  Many years later, deciding to take a chance, she tried it again and her whole being opened up.  How many write-off a varietal or a particular winery because of one glass, one bottle?  How much would our world open up if we tried again?  I listened and watched as the poets welled up with emotion telling their intensely personal tales, and I was moved.

Before I poured myself a glass of purple Borsao Tres Picos Garnacha to write this post, I thought about my own poetic wine experiences.  Every time I see an ugly, moldy piece of funky blue cheese served on a cheese plate after dinner, my mind goes back to a fishing village in the south of France.  When I see a bottle of Bordeaux with a fancy label, I remember a foray into the French section of a ginormous wine shop, my friends and I, terrified and overwhelmed by all the choices with names we couldn't pronunce, the ridiculous price tags, and the epiphany that my goodness, there's a whole world of winemakers out there and this is just Bordeaux!  Or the time I bit into a dark chocolate truffle, a light dusting of bitter cocoa hiding the sweet, soft, substantial goodness within, the sip of old vine zinfandel that followed, and then opening my eyes and seeing my beloved.

When Sideways movie goers went to Santa Barbara, I went to Portland to search for the perfect Pinot Noir.  The disappointment weighed heavy on my mind the last day of the trip - I didn't find it.  Maybe Pinot Noir wasn't my favorite, maybe I just wasted my time, maybe I really didn't like wine at all.  I sat at the wine bar next to my hotel, one last flight before my flight.  What the hell, I had time to kill.  And then I tasted it.  The perfect Pinot Noir from little LaVelle Vineyards in Willamette Valley.  My whole self was enveloped in the richness of the juice!  I rejoiced in my adventure as the ruby nectar warmed its way to my heart, reveled in the satisfaction, and fell in love all over again.  I wanted to move to Portland.

What does poetry have to do with wine?  Everything! 

I hope that poetry fills your glass this weekend.
Salud!

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