Wisdom at the Bottom of a Bottle

People say that with age comes wisdom. With age, also comes fine wine. It seems logical then that because most wines are aged, however long or short, there is wisdom in every bottle. The wisdom one finds at the bottom of a bottle can be a life-enhancing experience. This may sound profound and somewhat unbelievable, but once you have consumed a bottle of wine, you may find yourself staring at the emptiness and wondering what you gained by drinking it. What did you learn by drinking that bottle? Some people don’t realize the wisdom that accompanies wine. Knowledge is a natural byproduct of this age-old ritual. Some people only see the simplicity of drinking wine, and others cherish the learning experience.

It is like a path of knowledge, and it can really consume you instead of you consuming it. The scope of the subject of wine is endless, and the topics within the subjects have no boundaries. Wine encourages us to learn about geography and topography because without it, it would be incomprehensible. When you drink wine, it is inevitable that you will learn a little something about history because without history, it would be colorless. Wine allows us to experience different cultures and traditions and exposes us to social etiquette. It encompasses botany, chemistry, agriculture, economics, and a number of other sciences. Wine would not exist without any of this, and the world would be a thirsty place without it.

The level of knowledge you reach on the subject depends on individual habits, enthusiasm for the subject, and longevity. For instance, if your wine habits include reading labels, experimenting with new wines, holding your own wine tasting events or attending them, making several trips to the liquor store in a week, subscribing to a wine magazines, and so on, you are steps ahead of those who merely drink wine on a social level. This would also cover the level of enthusiasm you have for the subject. Obviously, longevity means the age you start drinking wine. For example, you may recall your parents drinking wine occasionally when they had friends over, and back then someone would inevitably offer you “just a little sip.” Let’s not digress that far back, though. Many people really only started tapping the wine circles during college. Now this is where it all started and when wisdom is frequently found at the bottom of a bottle.

Do you remember some of the most popular bottles back then? In the times when no one had a master’s degree, before people specialized themselves into a corner, before Feng Shui was in every household, before people constantly changed jobs, partners, and hair color, and before society expected wine to slap you in the face with flavor?

You may have started with some of the old standbys like an Almaden Rhine, a hearty gallon of Gallo Burgundy, an Inglenook Chablis, or maybe even one of the many flavors of Boone’s Farm (if you can consider this wine and not fermented fruit juice.) When you progressed from the basics, though, it was “cool and groovy” to procure a bottle of Mateus Rosé or Lancer’s, both of Portuguese origin. The shape of the Mateus bottle alone was attractive enough to entice anyone to pick up this table wine. The wine itself is neither sweet nor dry, red nor white, and it goes well with any food or by itself. Then there is the unusual solid burgundy color glass bottle of Lancer’s, which always made a favorable impression on a first date. It contained the same amount of mystery about it as a typical first date and just as sweet.

The three German favorites were Blue Nun, Zeller Schwarze Katz Riesling Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, and Liebfraumilch Qualitatswein, all of which are on the sweet yet refreshing side. You were considered to be an expert on the subject if you could pronounce these correctly. Incidentally, the Blue Nun label is no longer confined to Liebfraumilch. In fact, the “classic” Blue Nun is no longer a Liebfraumilch, but the brand now extends to dry German Riesling, French Merlot, Spanish Rosé, and even Australian Shiraz.

Another popular worthy of mentioning was the infamous straw covered bottle of Chianti. It was appropriately romantic to share a bottle of this dry Italian wine with your spaghetti (before “pasta” became the globally accepted term) dinner. This wine served a dual purpose, too. When you finished drinking it, the romance continued by using the bottle for an attractive candleholder. Oh, the bottom of the bottle wisdom that was liberated from those Chianti bottles is indescribable.

Out of the days long past and once popular wine choices comes the knowledge of wines that are still acceptable beginner wine selections and still all under $10. Even if you’re not a beginner but reading this article has jogged some fond memories, grab a bottle of one of these notable wines and reminisce with some friends. You will probably appreciate a good Merlot or Sauvignon afterwards.

There is plenty of wisdom to be liberated from the bottom of a bottle if you are willing to see through the tinted glass.

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