Durban - When a chilled glass of wine is being savoured while viewing the animals of the Kruger Park from your veranda, there is little doubt the experience heightens the impression of that wine.
Enjoyment of wine, like so many things in life, is subjective, and one that carries a heap of medals and accolades may be the last wine someone chooses to drink because of a poor experience or the wrong environment. Similarly, a relatively pedestrian bottle can be your favourite because it holds memories of a first date or a special day.
Last week a childhood friend lost her more than two-year battle against cancer and circumstances meant I could not be there when the final goodbyes were being said. It was an agonising decision to take, but one she would have taken too – especially as she highly valued the time she spent on holiday with her loved ones.
Several years ago I acquired a bottle of Mailly Grand Cru Les Echansons 2 000 champagne with the intention of opening it on a special occasion. Monday afternoon, when those final farewells were being said in Durban while we were watching buffalo drinking from the Crocodile River and hearing the hippos snorting and cavorting in the water in front of our unit, was that special occasion.
There are few more worthy occasions than honouring a lifelong friendship – and that in itself is a lesson in wine appreciation. The right occasion for opening that bottle that holds a revered place in your heart may not be the most obvious, as it could actually just be reward for reaching the end of a hard day or celebrating life’s simplicities.
There is a scene in an Oscar-nominated art film called Sideways where the central character drinks his prized wine, a 1961 Château Cheval Blanc, from a disposable coffee cup in a fast food restaurant.
While there is a sadness in that scene, there is also the message that keeping a wine and only stroking the bottle with thoughts of drinking it at some point in the future, when that time may never arrive, also defies logic.
There are wines that can be investments, selling for several times their original purchase price, but the majority are not in that category and will not make their buyers wealthy for holding on to them for years.
Wine is social, cultural and personal. Life is precious and can be cut short without warning. Grabbing our opportunities, even when they are sharing a prized bottle with friends and family, cannot be undervalued.
The Mercury
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