Enjoyment of the presentation
What is it about the relationship between a diner and a bottle of wine that is so special? It is difficult to define why a bottle of wine is so enjoyable. It’s not just about the contents of the bottle. It’s not just about the story behind what’s inside the bottle. It’s not as simple as the enjoyment of the presentation. There are so many factors that those who appreciate wine experience when they select a bottle from a list. I, for one, can remember the very first time I enjoyed the experience of drinking a good bottle of wine. It wasn’t the first wine I’d ever tasted or even the best. It was, however, the first time I opened a bottle with intention, aware of what was inside it and where it came from. My first experience was something of a rite of passage. Late one evening in a restaurant where I was working, a dining room manager and a few senior servers called me over to a corner table. They invited me to sit down and drink with them. For me, it was one of those moments of inclusion. I was being invited into an exciting world that I had previously only watched from the outside. I still remember the bottle, a 2007 Il Nero di Casanova from La Spinetta. That was the night that I would be hooked forever.
Couples with excitement
One of the best things about wine is that every time you sit down to drink, there is a process, a long-standing order of operations and traditions observed time and time again. There is a familiarity to it that couples with excitement in the act of exploring a wine. Obviously, not all of these traditions are observed the same way in all circumstances, but there is a commonality to them from glass to glass, bottle to bottle. Thus, I found myself sitting down on Friday evening, bellying up to both the physical and proverbial bar, for one more.
Fabulous food
Barolo Grill is a locally owned and operated restaurant on 6th Ave and St Paul St. Small. Simple and in a quiet corner of the city, Barolo Grill speaks softly and carries a big stick. Fabulous food, fantastic service, and genuine understanding (bordering on reverence) of true Italian cuisine make this restaurant a must-visit for winos and Italian purists. When at the Barolo Grill, I was able to tell that for the staff, this was more than a job; it was a lifestyle. My bartender that evening, as we chatted, told me that he had been working there for eighteen years, while his coworker (the other bartender) had been there for thirteen years. A bit of digging revealed that the owner of this establishment closes the restaurant for a period every year to take the entire staff to Italy.
The wine list was extensive, containing more than enough verticals of the Piedmontese Kings to qualify the name Barolo Grill several times over. Also containing a plethora of other wines, both old world and new world, the list stretched on, leaving me vowing to return time and time. It was the kind of list that begs you to simply empty your bank account into it. A brief discussion with my partner in crime left me steering towards France (not something I would normally do in a place like this, but I have, after all, been having a ripping affair with France since leaving my last Italian occupation).
With Cornas in mind, I questioned the bartender about a label I had not seen before, Vencent Paris Granit 30’. “Wonderful,” the bartender exclaimed as he proceeded to launch into a story about his visiting the vineyard and the story of Vencent Paris. He told of his three vineyards, one at the base of the hill, one in the middle, and one at the top. Each of these vineyards produces a different wine. They are named for the angle of the slope. The bottle I was considering, the Granit 30 came from the bottom vineyard, which has a slope of 30’. Following his recommendation, I ordered a bottle at the same time that I fired in three courses. We had arrived fairly late at the restaurant, and I wanted to get my order in quickly.