“No Water, Please!”

Annual Reminder

Anyone who has been wine tasting with me or casually enjoying a glass, okay, a BOTTLE of wine, knows my pet peeve is pouring water in between wines. Folks, this is a BIG NO-NO!

An experience tasting room clerk will know better and rinse your glass with a white wine, usually it is Chardonnay. If you are lucky your glass will be rinsed with Viognier :). If the tasting room clerk has not learned this taboo practice, KINDLY, place your hand over the glass and say, “I prefer a white wine rinse or a new glass.” If she gives you that “How dare you stare” or a bizarre look, further explain WITH A SMILE, “when you rinse with water, it always leaves remnants of water in the glass and I am left with diluted wine”. Depending on the vineyard’s wine inventory, the tasting room clerk may simply change your glass; make sure you say THANK YOU; even if she gives you the evil eye.

I’ve been preaching “No Water Please” for years and I continue to observe tasting room clerks committing this blasphemy. Ok, not a blasphemy act, but close to it. Who wants to sip diluted wine? NOT MUAH! Unless… you are a wine novice, eagerly wanting to appreciate red wine. I observe this ritual at a party.

The host had a bowl of ice near the red and white wine. The white wine was being chilled in an ice bucket. For a quick moment, I became puzzled than discounted the thought. She had a nice selection of wines; the wines that caught my attention were Bogle Merlot, Yalumba Viognier, which I love, specifically their Organic Viognier, DELICIOUS! I, of course, poured a glass of the Yalumba Viognier.

Later, I witnessed a young woman placing ice cubes in her glass and pouring herself a glass of red wine. My lips were silent but my facial expression must have spoken a thousand words of distressed because I was asked by a gentleman, who was smiling, “You don’t like ice cubes?” I quickly replied, “Not at all!” This exchange caught the young woman’s attention, who proceeded to explain that she puts ice in ALL her drinks, not just wine. Based on her swift response, this was not the first time someone has questioned her practice. She just likes ice. I suggested frozen grapes for wine and ventured on my way.

Now, I know there are many wine drinkers who prefer ice in their wine, especially during the hot weather. To this day, I still do not understand this preference. How can you truly express you appreciate wine when it has been diluted? So to my diluted wine drinkers, instead of using ice cubes, may I offer a suggestion to replace your ice with frozen grapes: red wine = red grapes and white wine = white grapes. Grapes are in season the entire year, so they isn’t any reason try it.

 

I hope you enjoyed this annual reminder of “NO WATER PLEASE!” Check out my original post on treevinos.com and search “water”.

Salute! Sante’!