Wine: Piedmont And Alsace
How does one really begin to know someone? Think about your spouse. In the beginning, you spent time alone together and then potentially with her pals, and you believed you knew her well… Until she brought you home to meet her mom and dad, her brothers and sisters, and the rest of her family.
I’m willing to bet that you really started to understand the kind of person she was after becoming familiar with the people and places she grew up with and around. I am sure that you became more closely connected and your love for her grew in many ways that you never thought it would. In several respects, wine is the same way.
Wine has character. No one bottle is the same. It evolves and becomes something else after a number of years of “maturing.” But it is also “born” somewhere and was “raised” by somebody.
I have recently had this experience with Barolo. I have just returned from the Langhe hills of the Piedmont in Northern Italy. My experience there has been, in numerous respects, life-changing.
I have a great zeal for the wines of this region and for its: 1) Culture (the meeting point of Alpine, French, and Italian culture); 2) Customs (the result of its being a frontier region and a once intensely independent state); 3) History (again the result of its location linking Italy to France and to Switzerland); and 4) Gastronomy (think Italian food, French-style).
For such a long time, I didn’t see why I felt so attracted to Barolo, but I now understand why. The Piedmontese have a personal relationship with food and wine, like most Italians. However, they express their relationship in a way that cannot be imitated because nobody else has shared their unique experience.
Barolo is distinctively Italian, but uniquely Piedmontese… The result of being born on the border of three nations. Of course the wine is good, but Barolo and the Piedmont fascinate me so much because, in some ways, it makes me think of my home, Alsace. Both regions are on the frontier, both are at the meeting point of no less than two cultures, and both have really wonderful viticultural customs.
The Piedmontese experience is like the Alsatian one, and in a way it’s nearly as if I found my soulmate. Love is your soul’s recognition of its counterpart in another. Cheesy I know, and it is not my line either, but it’s right.
I am a romantic, and I find wine to be romantic. Sure, it’s a beverage to enjoy, but it’s more than a beverage. Wine isn’t merely the result of agriculture and science. It’s the result of people, places, practices and love!
Nic Haegeli still considers himself rather new to the wine business, but he now has several years of experience as a wine manager at Colonial Spirits, a Maynard liquor store. With a BA in History and a Master of Public Policy in International Relations, Nic never imagined himself working with wine. Nonetheless, he did grow up in Alsace, France… Hence it makes sense when you know where he comes from.
Colonial Spirits would like to invite you to come by our store for one of our many wine tastings. If you can not come to the physical store, then please have a look at our online liquor store. Colonial Spirits Delivers offers wine delivery anywhere in Eastern Mass!
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