It’s Valentine’s Day 2022. As a wine lover and observer of the wine industry, it feels more important than ever to focus on the pleasure of wine.
By “the pleasure of wine,” I don’t mean deconstructing it systematically by vintage, varietal or tasting note (unless, of course, that is your thing). I’m talking more about the pleasure of wine in a playful sense — to let it feel good to enjoy wine, to have fun with it, to hold or swirl a glass of wine and laugh, to let it spark mischievous conversations and compassionate ones as well.
This year, that’s what I’m going for on Valentine’s Day.
In that spirit, today’s post features three playful suggestions for enjoying wine that have crossed my path recently. One is from France, one is from the US and one is from Italy and that in itself is a good sign: those are three traditional wine-producing countries, yet wine lovers and advocates in each culture are finding fun, non-traditional ways to communicate around the pleasure of wine.
I hope they inspire you as well.
From France: Languedoc Wines Card Game
Card games seem to have found new life these past few years, from well-known therapist Esther Perel’s Where Should We Begin: A Game of Stories to, for wine enthusiasts, a 15-card, three-wine set-up that inspires multi-player involvement, guesswork and dialogue.
Vins du Languedoc created the Languedoc Wines Game, whose stated goals are to “attribute the right characteristics to the right wine and to encourage a discussion of impressions and feelings about each wine.” Players (beginning with the “youngest vintage”) take turns drawing a card and, depending on the attributes or trivia printed on the card, places it in front of one of the three bottles or tastes of wine on the table that they think describes it best.
For me, the idea and format of this card game is a jumping-off point for wine lovers to create their own card deck, aligned with their own favorite bottles. Imagine that as a gift for a lover or group of friends: your own wine card game, customized to your preferences, experiences and memories. Let the games begin!
From Italy: Novelty is the Name of the Game
Eataly, the chain of Italian-footprint marketplaces, restaurants, and cooking schools, has learned a thing or two about selling wine during the pandemic. Senior executive Dino Borri, who is based in New York, notes this significant, playful lesson: “We always suggest something different,” he says. “Guests are looking for something they don’t know, something they’ve never had.”
Keep that idea in mind for your Valentine, whether it’s for today’s special occasion or as a mindset to adopt around your wine purchases in general. We have a natural sense for knowing what we like when it comes to wine, but there’s a lot to be said also for the element of the unexpected and adventurous. Italy in particular excels at this, as I noted in an article previously called “1671 Reasons You’ll Never Be Bored by Italian Wine.”
On retail shelves and in restaurants, Italian wines are usually well represented throughout the US. Online purchases has also expanded options exponentially. Now, as Borri points out, people can discover and access wines that are lesser-known, whether it’s Pelaverga or Timorasso or that Barolo. A bonus: the pandemic has fueled Italian wineries to be communicative virtually, which means they’ve created videos that show the narrative of their wines. “That’s a big improvement in Italy in the wine business,” Borri says, and it translates to a more fun, pleasurable experience of wine for us all.
From the US: “Conscious” Wine, a Text Away
Vine Drop, which launched in the US last month, has worked hard to make wine fun for consumers (except consumers don’t need to know exactly how challenging it is to pull that off). Thoughtful, eye-catching packaging. Curated collection of unique, consciously focused wines. And the ability to place an order via text that is, they say, easier than ordering anything on Amazon.
What I appreciate most of all are the “tech sheets” that come with the wine, because they aren’t your grandfathers’ wine tech sheets. Yes, you’ll learn the vintage, origin and alcohol level. But there’s also an infographic meter that gauges taste by “traditional” or “unique,” and a Mood Note for each wine, such as a quote from Healther Ash Amarra (”Change is inevitable, but transformation is by conscious choice”) and a soundtrack for a song that comes to mind when you experience the wine.
Those are three suggestions that are orienting my own wine choices this Valentine’s Day. I hope you’ll find something here that works for you too. Go on. Play with your wine a little. Please.