another book -- another thought

reading a book by Sbrocco (not sure that's quite right) called "Wine for Women."

I received this recently at a wine reception FOR women, in S.F., put on by a women's lawyer group. They hosted a bunch of women vintners, and this was the "door prize"/carry away for all participants.

This is a great book! It really talks about wine types, styles, food pairing, gift giving, party wine serving, etc. -- in a completely approachable/accessible fashion.

I know that at one point in the past I stated that "knowing wine" is not something that one needs to "know" from the Bond grrl perspective. But that's in relation to the portion of the Bond grrl life where you are being "#1 at being #2." In the other "part" (the "running your own circus" part), a book like Sbrocco's is invaluable. It helps make wine, wine/food, etc. effortless -- and that's all part of the other "1/2" of being a Bond grrl --the 1/2 when you are mistress of your own enterprise.

I keep coming back, in re wine mind you, to something a friend said as to what would be a "great" Double Oh! seminar class. Her idea was something that gave a "crash course" in vintages, wines, etc. so that you could "have that knowledge" in re interfacing with your James. To me, this is the farthest thing from the truth. I think this is EXACTLY what you do NOT want to do. You do need to know what you like -- I, for example, hate oaky/buttery Chardonnay and so I know, if I want a white, to order Sauvignon Blanc (generally -- though that's going into oak now too). A true "James" will ask you what you'd like -- and you should know, but not in detail so that you run the risk of being the "know it all" on the subject (bad, bad, very bad). If you know there is something you don't care for (another wine I almost always dislike is Pinot Noir), then just say "any red but Pinot sounds fab to me" and leave it at that.

But when you're running your "circus" (your other "side"), a book like Sbrocco's can help you really feel confident in pairing wine and understanding it a bit. She's interesting -- she doesn't go into vintages at ALL. To me, I tend to agree -- vintages are sort of like baseball scores -- more of a male bastion. Instead, she talks about the various varietals, THEN about "terroir" (where they are grown) then about vintners/winemakers/what they "do" to a grape that's grown in a certain region. She likens wine to clothing -- very very accessible.

So this would definitely be a book I would recommend -- I think it gives you really all you need to know (and more) about wine -- demystifying it, which is 1/2 the battle, then giving you some suggestions so that you come off "effortless" in your efforts :-) It's like having those "couple appetizers, couple main courses, a dessert" in your repertoire that look great, are easy to conjure up, and people rave about.

Part of being a Bond grrl is that effortless preparation -- the lack of a "look at me, look at me" feeling about what you say or do. I'm getting better at this as time moves on -- probably because I actually AM a lot more accomplished in a lot of areas, and so I feel completely unmoved to "toot my horn" or "brag" by knowing things like vintages, etc.

There is also a "life's too short" quality to all of this -- even if wine's your passion, it's like anything else....I'd venture to guess that over 80% of people don't really care whether '01 was the "perfect year for Napa Cab" or whether you think that the zin tastes like "pepper-dipped chocolate." It tastes good -- drink it. And shut up.