Why is it that having a glass of wine before 5 pm signals some sort of perversity? Why does that glass of wine taste so good before 5 pm, say on a Sunday afternoon like today, with a light drizzle outside, and the house empty except for me and the dog?
I just opened a bottle of Megas Oenos 2006. We like to call it “Big Ass Wine”. (Say the name out loud to yourself, and you’ll understand why.) It really is a big-assed wine, that opens up as it breathes. Unlike Lisa, I am not good at picking out flavors in wine. I take a sip, and I get a general thumbs up or thumbs down on my palate. This beautiful red gets a big THUMBS UP. It’s nice to find a Greek wine, too, that can stand up to Frenchies.
So back to the question of the hour – it’s not yet 5 pm, and I have a glass of wine going. If a neighbor were to stop by, I might hide the wine. No, I actually have some cool and fun neighbors (happily discovering “empty nest syndrome”). Okay, so if the parents of one of my kids’ friends were to stop by, I would definitely hide the wine.
One thing Lisa and I have in common is that we were both profoundly influenced by time spent in Spain. And a glass of wine at 4 pm in Spain raises not a single eyebrow. It might raise a glass in friendship instead. Where did we go wrong in the US? Are we still living the hangover from Prohibition?
You know those moments in life where your brain takes a snapshot (because you never remember to carry your camera with you, idiot!), and that snapshot sticks in your mind? I have one of those from a recent trip to Spain. I was having lunch with two great friends, claro, with a bottle of fine Spanish wine. There were three women at the crowded bar, somewhere in their late seventies. They were dressed nicely, appropriate to their age. And they were sharing a glass of wine and some memories. My friends and I watched as they talked, laughed, and had some wine. Where in the US does something like this happen? We would judge them – lushes, off meds, crazed. But instead, there they were enjoying life and the people in their lives, with wine.
So cheers! Here is to sharing wine with the ones that matter to you, when you so choose. I for one will not judge you.
What a big ass!
Wine before 5, really? Once you start down this path you’ll be in big trouble before you know it, pretty soon you’ll be neglecting responsibilities and enjoying life in an unseemly fashion! Ha, cheers to both of you and your new blog!
I’ve always had the same feeling, but about liquor. Is that different?! Not a bunch, but more like a shot of jack before 5. I guess it’s only shameful if you do it alone. The golden girls at the bar you mentioned had the right idea! Great blog!