The Wine Knows

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Portland with my in-laws, and I brought a pretty good line-up of wines for them: Barnard Griffin 2005 Rosé of Sangiovese, Argyle 1998 Brut, Navarro Vineyards 2004 Gewurztraminer (the only California wine in the bunch), WillaKenzie 2002 Pierre Leon Pinot Noir, Betz 2001 La Cote Rousse Syrah, Leonetti 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon and Hawthorne Mountain 2004 Ehrenfelser Icewine.

Throughout the feast, we talked about the various wines, and the eight of us enjoyed tasting through all the different styles and trying them with the myriad food choices. After the meal, we talked about the wines, and I asked everyone to make some choices on their favorites. As expected, everybody at the table had a different opinion.

And that is what is great about wine. Everyone has their own opinions about what they like and dislike - and their reasons for them. Regardless of the technical aspects, favorites come down to personal preferences and hedonism.

But here's what I found really interesting: On Friday night, I opened a bottle of Barrister Winery's 2004 Cabernet Franc, a Washington wine that won best of show a couple of weeks ago at the Tri-Cities Wine Festival. We had it with leftovers, and everyone really loved it - especially my father-in-law, who kept asking questions about it (how much, how many cases, who are the people who own it, how many bottles do I have left, etc.). I have the feeling that if I'd served this wine the night before, it might well have been the hands-down favorite on the table.