Time spent with family or close friends is a gift, and meant to be savored. Likewise, a good bottle of wine is meant to be savored. Connecting with people over food, wine and good conversation is priceless when it yields great memories and closer relationships. One way to commemorate a gathering is to open a “special” bottle of wine. Have you ever done this for someone? Has someone opened a special bottle to share with you?
But what makes a bottle of wine "special"? For some, it could be how they imagine it will pair with a certain meal. Perhaps the bottle is "rare" or limited in production. It could be an expensive bottle or a value buy. Maybe, just exceptionally crafted. Whatever the "specialness" of the bottle is to its owner, it is a sharing of that perceived value with others that makes the occasion special. It is a way of sharing oneself, reflected in the bottle choice. The wine becomes a way to share a special place visited, experience, occasion, or memory. And that intimate connection becomes special to those with whom the bottle is being shared.
A wine can have a sense of place and a story. It might be from a picturesque single vineyard, or from a small family- owned winery. These places and family stories can be experienced during a winery visit or tasting - all contributing to the memories made and associated with a wine. The vineyards and wineries of the Backroads of Paso Robles are the places where wine memories are made. Wine from that kind of place brings its own story to a gathering, and makes connecting with one another even more memorable.
Connecting with friends and family is priceless, but the wine doesn’t have to be. In this case, it’s truly the thought that counts. Cheers!
Written by Bryan Widstrand Assistant Winemaker Steinbeck Vineyards & Winery
