Not Every Glass Is A Win.

Remember the old adage, “You have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince”?  Some days, that is SO TRUE.  We had better accept it: some days just aren’t going to be successful, so the best thing we can do it learn from them, and move forward. You’re not always going to win that race, beat your opponent, or make your quota. On some days, you might try your damnedest just to continue- to live and fight another day.

#MWWC33 

 

We have a lot of sayings backstage in the entertainment business. “Once Upon A Time”, is one of them. Others are more self-evident: “early is on time/on time is late”, “make hay while the sun shines”, “just do it again”, “nobody died”, “All the world’s a stage”, “break a leg”,”we’re burning daylight”,  “It isn’t rocket surgery”, “back to one”  just to name a few.

One quote I particularly like is: “We can do this one of two ways. Either My Way, or  My Way Angry.” This statement is also known as “my way or the highway”, if you prefer. That really has no application to this story whatsoever, but the black and white of the statement is darn true that it makes me smile, so I wanted to share it. Sometimes, you have to choose and commit to one side of the coin, and see how your luck fares.

Fortunately, wine is rarely such a black and white world.

Everyone can have their own opinion about wine. And we all do! Not everyone is going to want the 1892 Haut Brion, the Screaming Eagle, the Romanee-Conti Grand Cru…but those are some of my fairy tale wines, my “Once Upon A Time” bottle dreams. Feel free to send me one! The JvB Make-A-Wine-Wish Foundation…well, it has a certain je ne sais quoi, doesn’t it?  But I digress.

 

Likewise, we are going to have disappointments. Not every bottle is going to be good.

 

Today was a great reminder of that lesson. I met with a winemaker and we had a lovely lunch and conversation. But something went wrong with the shipping, and to no fault of the winemaker,  his wine (the whole point of our meeting) just didn’t make it.  So when the waiter came by and asked what we’d like to drink, I said something that often reaps killer rewards. “What are the unusual or weird wines on your list?” I asked. Usually a sommelier or wine director has some unusual picks on (or off their list) that have personal meaning, maybe at a great value. Trying their “insider” wines can be like being handed a gift- a killer pairing, a great value, or a rare wine. He pointed, I nodded. Let’s give it a try!

 

Not today. Oh, no, not a chance.

 

Today was the first time that the “unusual” wine on the list was truly sub-par. It showed brett, showed far too much alcohol, and I felt, accurately or not, that it was a major blunder on my part. The winemaker and I laughed it off- but I really wished that his wines had arrived, or that I’d had my own cellar handy so we could have enjoyed and tried a few different things.

 

It’s important to remember, that whether it is a glass or bottle of wine, business, politics, or marriage:
Not Every Day Is Going To Be A Win.

I’m going to take that one step further: Not every glass is doing to be a win.
“Yes, JvB,” you’re thinking, “That’s obvious.” Sometimes it is obvious. Other times, not so much.

I am constantly telling people that the old wine rules no longer matters and that we should all “Drink What They Like” but at the same time, I also want everyone to try something new, to step out of their habits and taste a different grape, region, or winemaker. And for every few people who thank me for turning them on to a great wine that increases their love of wine, there is someone who hated it.

 

Learn and move forward. Not Every Day Is Going To Be A Win.

 

A cool thing did happen at my meeting today. This winemaker said a lot of things that made a lot of sense to me. I was secretly thrilled to hear him talk about making room in the vineyards and planting grapes specifically to make a great rosé wine. Why? Because I’ve heard other winemakers tell me how much of a drag it can be to make rosé for their customers, and when someone is passionate about making great wine, you can see their determination, understand their struggle, and taste the results, win or lose.

 

If every glass was a win, we would not appreciate the path, the struggle, or the passion that goes into the glass. 

 

Accept that it takes hard work, it takes grit, determination, and often several failures, to finally achieve success.

 

When we finally drink that wine, it tastes better than we can imagine. 

 

Not every glass can be a win. But when you find one, I hope that you will appreciate it that much more, because of what it takes to make the jump from ordinary to extraordinary.

Here’s to you finding, and loving, your fairytale wine.

And then, you can tell us: “Once Upon A Time…”

à votre santé!

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