Finding The Best of The Best

 A very dear family friend asked me a very interesting question after seeing that I flew to London to taste a 1973 Chardonnay. Now it wasn't just any old Chardonnay that I flew to another country to taste, it was one that made history and put California/ the USA on the world wine map. This wine won in a blind tasting against the very best French Chardonnays (and other Napa wines) in what was called The Judgement of Paris. There is actually a delightful movie called Bottle Shock all about this wine that you really should see. So naturally it might cause you to wonder, as it did my friend, if this is the best wine in the world? Is there a single very best wine in the world? 

Having read about this wine or that wine being 'the best', my friend asked me, is there one best wine? He asked if I have had a best wine and what made it that? Was it the flavor or the cost? I have been asked versions of this question many times before, but somehow the way he phrased it really made me think and realize that there is a gap in how we, the industry professionals, have been trying to explain wine to you guys (the customers, enthusiasts, wine curious). I am going to try to answer this question differently and in doing so, I hope it starts a more open dialogue about wine.

What is the BEST wine I have ever had? Well, what does that question mean... really. Is it asking if I have tasted a 100 point wine? Is it asking if I have ever tasted a wine that made me cry? Or is it asking if I have had a wine that encapsulates what I love about wine and is therefore the best? My usual answer when asked something like this is that "the best wine is the one in your glass", but putting my smartass quips aside, I am amazed by the flood of wines that come to mind when I think of all the ways to interpret this question. What might make a wine great to me might be the exact thing that makes it the worst to you. This is how I usually put this question back to you, trying to make the world of wines more accessible, or at least that is what I thought I was doing. Now I am wondering if I actually simply left people feeling set adrift in a sea of wine that is so daunting they can't even fathom how to navigate it. Maybe giving finight answers, as opinionated as they will be, IS what people need. Let me give that a try and you tell me, does it help or hurt?

Have I tasted a 100 point wine? Yes. I was in the Czech Republic at a small international wine competition and 2 Masters of Wine and myself scored the wine 100 points. This is incredibly rare. A wine simply does not usually rank exceptional in ALL of the categories: color, aroma, bouquet, fruit, acid, tannin, balance, finish, overall impression. It was a Slovenian red wine that I can not remember the name of. So is that the best wine? Couldn't possibly be if I can't remember the name right? To that measure, I have also been a part of a jury selecting the Best in Show Sparkling Wine at a very highly regarded international wine competition where we were tasked with selecting the very very best out of all the gold medal winning sparkling wines which we later learned were from some of the most impressive producers in California and Champagne, but the blindly tasted winner? A Slovenian wine! I know, Slovenia is making wickedly good wines! What was that wine's name? Yep, you guessed it, I don't remember. 

OK so scores do not make for the best wine... even though technically that is exactly what we are saying as judges. So is it the most expensive wine that I have tasted that is the best? Well, I have tasted a 1990 Dom Perignon which many critics consider the best vintage of several decades and one of the best sparkling wines ever made. It was incredible. I even remember where I was standing when I tasted it at an event. The bottle had been slyly kept under the table while other top sparkling brands sat on the table for people to taste. The wine rep only poured the Dom for a select group of us that he deemed proficient in wine tasting enough to appreciate it. It was rich and creamy, bold in flavor yet elegantly balanced with acidity. It was beautiful and I enjoyed every drop. So is that THE best wine? Well, it was a $400 bottle then, who knows what it would go for today, but I would never spend that much on a bottle of wine... even if I had the kind of money that would allow me to spend that kind of money on a bottle of wine. There are plenty of sparkling wines that are swoon worthy at a fraction of the price. For example the Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque Champagne wines are always exceptional in my opinion and worth the price to celebrate something special. Jesse and I received a bottle as a wedding gift, a time in our lives when we were starting the winery, dirt poor, and absolutely obsessed with wine. After that, every time Jess and I had a big reason to celebrate, that was the wine we turned to (usually around $110). A Vintage Krug Rose Champagne was a spectacular wine given to us by my then wine mentor as a gift when our daughter was born. It is expensive (around $240) and while I have not personally purchased it, if you have the means, you should. A final example is the Canals Munne Gran Duc Grand Reserva Cava that a wine shop clerk helped me select to celebrate our residency going through in Spain. My daughter and I were alone in Spain at the time, using limited spanish to navigate a tricky bureaucratic system in order to register and become official residents of Spain. It had been a harrowing experience that I documented in several blog posts if you care to go on that journey. Being completely broke meant splurging on a bottle of wine was a truly frivolous treat. Luckily (err or maybe not?) we have raised our daughter, who has an amazing palate, to appreciate fine wine so she was as excited as I was to have our celebration be a bottle of wine. This bubbly was delicate yet complex, artistic and delightful while showing exceptional craftsmanship. It was stunning and we cried real tears as we sipped it. It is also only 40 euro. So, are any of those examples the best wine? Maybe, because they packed emotional punches in addition to being great wines. That could push them into the best category, but I hesitate to say that.

Quick aside: If you don't know to explore Cava yet, then you have not been listening to me. For years Cava has been the bubbly that is excellent at very inexpensive price points and bests many very expensive, famous brands. Also, our daughter is 19 and of legal drinking age in Europe.

The Cava did elicit tears, but really it was the event we were celebrating that combined to create an emotional moment. A wine actually making me cry with its beauty, that is a completely different beast. That has only happened once, and it was a moment so stunning that it is one of my most prized life experiences. I had been traveling in Central Europe with my family and judging at wine competitions in several countries when I paused that trip to be flown from Budapest to New York for a competition there. It was my 2nd time at that competition and I had earned the coveted invitation to the private tasting in a hotel room of one of the judges known to have an outrageous wine cellar. That sounds like a sinister plot for a young woman to be a part of, but I assure you it was an honor to be invited. Of those also on the guest list was a man called The Count who was one of the very first Masters of Wine... ever. Several incredible library wines were opened including Grand Crus and collector vintages of Italian greats, but there was one wine that happened to be my birth year, a 1978 Chateau Leoville Grand Vin de Leoville, Saint-Julien, Bordeaux, that stood out. The wine was poured for a room of "experts", murmurs of tasting notes were being swapped, but I had moved entirely into my own world and was tasting with my eyes closed. The wine was 41 years old at the time and while clearly showing age and maturity, it was also holding tight to bright fruit notes! It was astounding to me that the wine could age THAT well and it made me think of the French winemaker who had lovingly crafted this beautiful wine, lived out his life and hoped his wine would age with grace. The year he made that wine, I was born, across an ocean in another country. 41 years later that winemaker would be dead and I would be in a hotel room tasting the remarkable wine, marveling at the winemaker's artistry. The poetry of this thought, the interconnectedness, and the awe of what this man was able to create touched me deeply and I just started to cry. Quiet tears streamed from my eyes and I tried to hide deeper in my chair so I didn't attract any attention from the intimidating crowd around me. A hand on my knee broke me from the meditation and I opened my eyes to see The Count's wife looking at me concerned. Her attention to me drew the attention of The Count who leaned forward and asked "my dear, are you alright?". His speaking caused the room to hush, everyone waiting with baited breath to see what he had to say about the wine and why he was now talking to this little girl (at 41 I was often the youngest in the room of wine geeks). I stammered as I tried to reply and wipe tears off my face. I said I was fine I just thought the wine was beautiful. The Count wasn't going to leave it at that pushed that I describe what I was finding in the wine and why I thought it was remarkable. I shared that it was that someone was making this wine when I was just being born and that I was lucky enough to be siting there 41 years later, tasting one of the last bottles in existence. People stood silently starring at me while The Count beamed with joy. A year or so later I was in Berlin, Germany, at another competition swapping stories with fellow judges when one said the greatest wine story he had ever heard was from The Count who told him one of his most impactful experiences was in a hotel room in New York when a young woman was brought to tears by the beauty of a wine she was tasting. 

But was it the BEST wine?!? I know you are all asking. Well maybe. For me, in that moment, it certainly was. I also just had the privilege to taste the white wine that won The Judgement of Paris, now 53 years old, and it was electric in the glass. A white wine isn't supposed to age like that and it was beautiful. Is that then the best wine??? Or was it the 1977 Cab that was also poured that day that seemed to only now be stretching its legs? Or was it the Vivac Cabernet Franc my husband made (one of my all time favorite grapes in the world) that blew me away and caused me to fall a little bit more in love with him in that moment; seeing that he created something with such elusive resplendence was incredible. 

At this point in my very lucky life I have tasted some truly epic wines in incredible far way, sometimes secret corners of the world and have many "favorite" wineries so I hesitate to say that there is just one best wine. It depends on the day, the place, the reason I am tasting the wine. What I do know is that wine is a combination of extraordinary elements coming together and when everything is just right... the soil and weather conditions, the age of the vine and how much struggle it has had to lead to just the right complexity in the grapes, the winemaker's skill which needs to be as an artist and a chemist, the perfect aging and conditions to lead to its perfect timing to be in your glass and tasting perfectly when you sip it... all of that coming together is as close as we, as humans, will ever come to true magic.

So what is in your glass right now? Is it life changing? Is it remarkable? Chances are it is not. But is it delicious? Are you happy sipping it? Is it making your day just a little bit better? Well that sounds like a pretty awesome wine.

The Impossible Made Possible

The church bells toll only a few hundred feet from my home, but somehow they aren't an invasive sound. My mind travels back to a village in Columbia that we'd spent a month in where the clang of the church bells there was anything but enjoyable and rang so loud you could feel it in your bones. But today, in Spain, I hear the bells and feel serenity.

Serenity has been a little hard to find over the recent months. The search for a "forever" home was full of stress, doubt, worry and a little more stress on top. The housing shortage you hear about is legit, it just isn't quite what you think it is. Spain doesn't hate tourists, yes there were those few instances of water guns being used, but mostly the people of Spain are incredibly kind and loving people. The problem comes from a mess of laws that suddenly turned long term rentals with their rent caps and renters rights, into short term fluctuating priced Airbnbs. This translates to most places being rented for 11 months max, a hefty tax added on and being at the mercy of the landlords arbitrary price gauging during the highly sought after summer months. So if you are not a tourist and don't want to move every few months and also want to live in the city and on a budget of any kind, you are totally screwed. That is why people are pissed. As an example, our rent would be 1,600 euro/ mo + utilities until June when it would sky rocket. Our landlord offered the discounted rate of 4,500 euro/ mo because he liked us. That apartment will now be listed for 6,500 euro/ mo for June, July, August, and September. And it is not a spectacular apartment.

Paying a mortgage back in the USA and paying rent here in Spain not only stretched our bank accounts thin, but our ability to cope. Add the stress of looking for a rental that would be long term and didn't totally suck we had a combination that was almost going to break us. I was on all the websites and in all the FaceBook groups, we had several realtors on the prowl for us and looked at every apartment I could even if they didn't fit our needs. A recently renovated apartment with a huge balcony was tempting, but our adult daughter would have had to live in a closet. I kid you not, the owner justified that it was a 2 bedroom because technically you could fit a twin sized mattress in the closet. Another amazing option was a place that had a to die for balcony, several bedrooms and lots of natural light, but had a walled in kitchen that was so narrow and small that it had zero counter space and you could hardly open the fridge door all the way. I actually became claustrophobic standing in there with Jess. Then, at one point, we found a true gem of a place, we had a verbal agreement and I was measuring rooms so we could furnish it, when the owner came up with a tricky claus... you need to put 40,000 euro in a bank account that will have a hold on it and work as collateral to protect the owner. Is any of this legal? No not really, but there is also nothing you can do about it. What probably happened is that she decided to rent to someone else, probably someone that is Catalan. In case you were wondering, no I do NOT have 40,000 euros just laying around.

Jess was at the point that he wondered if he needed to return to the USA so that we could afford this transition. Our daughter and I could rent a tiny place and we could try getting Jess back over here down the road. Everyone was emotional and it started to feel like the wheels were coming off the bus. And then Jess bumped into our neighbors in the lobby. They had just come from looking at a place that was too big for them, but they thought would be great for us. It was unlisted, in the historic city center, and a reasonable rent with a long term lease. It was too good to be true. We didn't waste a single second, Jess went to go look at it while our daughter and I attended Spanish class. By the end of class I had an eager text to go meet him. He walked us through the twisting cobblestone streets behind the iconic Sitges church to an arched doorway in a stone wall. 

An aside: You know that game where you visit somewhere and you fantasize about what it would be like to live there? You pick the very best street and design what kind of home would make it the most magical. You definitely play at scenarios of which cafe or little market would be "yours". I have always loved this game, especially when I visit Europe. But could it become a reality?

Suddenly I found myself walking into a building that was built in 1901. The heavy latched windows stood open so you could gaze into the charming historic street. A large room, perfect for an office, welcomed us. Up the first twisting flight was the bedrooms and bathrooms full of hardwood floors and quirky charm. Another twisting flight up was the living room and kitchen. The kitchen was huge and even had a window that when you pushed back the shutters you were enveloped in a dazzling view of the tiled rooftops toward the church steeple. The living room balcony drew me to it and I simply had to step out, lean over the railing and relive my childhood fantasy of being a princess in a castle. Up a final twisting flight took us out onto a large rooftop terrace. The view spanned the historic city center and down toward the sea on the other side. It was incredible. Soooo...what's the catch?

Unbelievably there was no catch. It was ours for the taking. Sometimes luck is on your side and everything just comes together. We signed papers and received the quintessential skeleton key that screams 'I live in a castle!'. Our new home is steps from our very favorite section of the city. While surrounded by museums, we also have a wine shop next door and a cluster of cafes and shops around the corner. The very best shopping street, oozing with cuteness, is seconds from our front door and our favorite beach is a 3 min walk. Every day I fall more and more in love with this oddly cozy, stone tower, aka El Torre. Having a long term contract has removed the strain of wondering if we will be on the street soon, but has also given us a space to really connect with. Over the last 6 months my daughter and I moved 3 times. Definitely not the way to feel connected to a place. It has been a lot.

So it's all great now? You might ask. Well, no, not exactly, but getting there. We are in financial stress still. I have a social security number here and get to pay monthly taxes, yay! We are navigating the forever paperwork and are getting closer to the elusive Health Card where I will finally get to see a doctor and get my dwindling medications sorted out. Jess is trying to balance managing the winery from afar with settling in here and our daughter is juggling finishing her film certificate remotely while also jumpstarting a career. We've gathered that Catalan is actually the language we should be learning, but can't even contemplate that yet. For now, we will just try to master the Barca game chant sung everytime the team scores a goal. We can't go for lavish meals, but now have 5 markets we like for different reasons... that one for fruit, that one for meat, that one for spicy peppers you can't get anywhere else. We don't have a car or a scooter, so we go everywhere on foot and take the train to neighboring cities. We line dry our clothes which means they are always a little damp, watch tv in spanish and have embraced sobremesa (the mandatory hangout at the table after a meal for another drink and relaxed chat time). We have made a few friends and finally know where important placas are even though everyone seems to have a different name for them. We sleep in and stay up late. We don't take naps daily, but siesta is mandatory for the entire town and is a quiet time to rest, we take full advantage of that. Maybe the biggest difference from living in the USA and making this feel great is that we no longer hurry. Strolling to your destination is part of the enjoyment of going out... even if that destination is the dreaded Padron.