I’m a stickler for words. In fact, I love seeing words so much that I can fondly recall diagramming sentences back in middle school. While my classmates were groaning under the weight of words upon pencil-drawn lines, I reveled in the breathtaking formality of it all!
Perhaps that’s why I don’t write as much as I should--I get so caught up in the semantics, that actually formulating cohesive sentences that could possibly resemble good writing, frightens me! A chance reservation at the award-winning Woodinville, Washington restaurant The Herbfarm made me realize that words, coupled with food and wine can be quite magical. The written descriptions of each course were, to me, profound. And of course the eating of each was that and more. After that, wine came easy to me as easy as the title pastry chef I earned years before. But passionate about it? Oddly enough, the further I dove into the food and wine world, the further I veered from those interesting little words. I missed them. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, despite my love of wine. My very first recollection of the word passion was associated with the suffering of Christ because that’s what I was taught in Catholic school. To me it meant that you give of yourself - body and soul. Today I write and produce an online beverage educational program called #winestudio. It began as an idea to showcase and share beautiful wines and flourished into a social media educational community for participants, and grassroots marketing for guests; and it’s actually pretty cool. On any particular Tuesday evening, we could be discussing a wine region that has yet to be truly discovered or perhaps a particular cider that someone happened to mention to me years ago. The written content is endless! When asked to write this article, I first thought “cool!” but then I asked myself if I really believed in the whole passion thing. I reminded myself that I established a program that hadn’t been done before and although I love the program for myself, it’s not actually designed for me but for my participants and guests. It feels like it all has come round robin: an odd little passion for words brought me to the world of wine and now here I am again. I suppose it is true that you never really forget your first crush. Tina Morey CS #winestudio
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This title has been referenced throughout the ages, perhaps beginning in biblical times all the way to now. In fact it’s used often in modern media, from music videos to documentaries and even block-buster movies. So what is it about this four-letter phrase that has so many using it?
Aesthetically speaking, it rolls off the tongue beautifully not to mention possessing a sense of awe and a deft amount of portent. I’d love to tell you that there is power in that little phrase and with it a brand New Year-- remembrance, reflection and expectation. I began thinking of my early days in the wine business. Way back when, when I was wine buyer for a restaurant and retail shop in San Diego, a gentleman walked in unannounced and wanted to taste me on some of his wines. I’m fairly certain I bought just about a pallet from him and although I worried the entire time, that was one of the best wine purchases I made. George Tita is principal of Tanaro River Imports, specializing in northern Italian and French wines. He also moonlights as Associate Professor in the Department of Criminology, Law and Society at the University of California – Irvine. Yeah, he’s that cool. From the Tanaro River Imports site, [all of the wines] “Represent a new wave of young vintners that have adopted methods that are as old as the land that they farm. These exclusive wine makers approach their craft with tremendous passion for the tradition of their forefathers. They are setting the standard for today’s wines of the Alsace, Piemonte and Umbrian areas. Though it is tempting to call them the “young Turks”, such a term connotes an air of modernity that contradicts the traditionalist approach to wine making that each embodies.” I hadn’t worked with George in years so when he popped into my wine world again it all just seemed right. His wineries embody the traditions of their forefathers while maneuvering in the modern world. So maybe it really is about a certain sense of power and how we each of us move about our lives. Perchance we’ll taste a little bit of that power within George’s wines. Art credit: Janine Donston - water abstract - haunting and powerful in its simplicity. |
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