“I am sorry.” He stammered as he suddenly became aware of the lull that had fallen over the dinner table.
As a setting, the outdoor restaurant of the Argentine wine producer was almost perfect. As the evening stretched into the twilight, the air hung heavy with the sweet aroma of the half a cow that lay roasting on the nearby grill. It was the conversation that was lacking.
The resident winemaker had just spent the last twenty minutes delivering a monologue on the technique of micro-oxygenation, and the role that it played in his wines. My dining companions had all developed a thousand yard stare in the direction of the distant Andes.
“My wife keeps telling me that I should not talk about this so much with other people.” Even in the fading light, it was clear that he was beginning to blush.
“I just find it so interesting.” I smiled as he excused himself for I knew the blush, and I knew the problem. As a sommelier I had done it too on occasion.
Wine is interesting, but interest has levels. For many, wine is about the big picture. Everybody wants the answer to the big picture question of ‘Is the wine good?’ If one provides too much detail on the small picture of what makes a wine good to drink, it is easy to overload people. In this case it was too much.
If there is a place to talk about all the small picture details, it is with your MS study group. The winemaker would have been welcome. Preparing for the MS brings you into contact with a lot of people who are just like you, Wine Geeks. The chance to spend time with like minded people talking about a mutual interest can be as intoxicating as the wine itself.
The allure of the study group stems from the complete freedom that it brings. All of us are there for the same reason, so we can be completely open about the manifestations of our interest. The admissions are often amusing.
“I put Germany in the bedroom so I can not avoid it.” I detailed.
In an effort to commit the geography and structure of different areas to memory, I had recently wallpapered my flat with a collage of maps and tables.
“Italy in the kitchen, so I can read it whilst the coffee brews.” Every area had its place.
Study methods are a frequent topic of conversation. We all had a lot of ground to cover in preparation for the exams, and all of us were looking for an edge to make it easier.
“I put Bordeaux in the bathroom.” My last admission sparked a brief episode of silence.
“You put Bordeaux in the toilet?” His voice was terse.
Jacques, our group’s resident Frenchman was not impressed with my choice of location for his country’s most famous region.
“It was the logical place. The classification is so detailed that it works as an emetic.” I countered.
“I keep my wine encyclopedia in the bathroom.” said James, joining the conversation. His tone of voice was so low that it betrayed his hope that this admission might go unheard amongst the chatter of the group.
It did not. The group turned to him as one aware that we could be onto something interesting. Even to us, the location seemed odd. There had to be a reason.
“It is the one place where I can get a few moments to sit down and read.” He expanded. James was married with a young son and quiet time for study was evidently hard to come by.
“It works for me.” His positive assertion was all that we needed to hear.
Wine is absorbing, but it is only one aspect of life. The time had come to get back to the rest of it and we said our goodbyes until the next session, or study related email, whichever came first.
I for one was busy. I had to get home and relocate my reference library.