http://www.corksandcaftans.com I just love this pic.

I was at the tasting bar at Summerhill last week (aka. my hangout) and a young man walked in wanting to try some wines that were available for sampling. He was looking for some whites. I offered up my opinion in what whites I enjoyed. I was really excited about two that I urged him to try. One was a Vouvray and the other was a Pinot Gris from Alsace. I was convinced that he would love them as well! Why wouldn’t he right? It turns out that he hated the Pinot Gris that I suggested and was “undecided” about the Vouvray. I think  his exact words were “I need to think about that one”. Gasp! How could I have absolutely loved these wines and this person not! Well, I decided not to beat myself over it. This is the nature of wine. Every person is different. Doesn’t make one’s taste any better or worse. Of course, the more you try different wines, the more you get a sense of what you may or may not like and what styles of wine you prefer. Have you ever bought a wine based on high score given by a wine critic, only to take it home and hate it? I have. This is what makes wine so versatile. There is a wine for every discerning taste. I’ve heard people say “I hate Chardonnay” or “Do you like red or white wine”. I find these statements quite funny because it’s like saying “I hate comedies” or “Do you like creme brule or chocolate mouse”.  How can you choose? There are great examples grape varieties and blends and wine styles from every region on the planet. You can’t blacklist an entire variety or limit yourself to just one colour of wine.  Maybe you don’t like overly oaked Chardonnay…maybe you prefer a Chablis. It’s the same grape just made in a different style. It took me a few moments to get over this one guy not liking my wine picks. I was redeemed when lots of other people loved those sames wines. Whew! 🙂
I don’t know how critics do it!