Finding One Last Bottle in a Case You Could Have Sworn Was Empty
You’ve spent months staring at that pile of empty wine cases in your cellar, dreading the weekend you’ll need to spend breaking them down. As you haul your first empty case out, you feel the unmistakable sound of a single bottle rolling around the bottom. It’s your ready-made reward for a long day spent organizing your cellar, and it makes the whole process worth it.
Spending Your Entire Weekend Alone in Your Cellar, Cataloguing Bottles
When you hear the words “inventory catalog,” you get downright giddy. Most people would balk at the idea of spending a warm, sunny weekend in a dark, damp wine cellar. This is your ideal weekend. Every bottle you add to your wine app is a reminder of how wonderful your collection is, and how excited you are to drink every new bottle on the list.
When a Tight Wine Finally Releases in the Decanter
It happens to all of us wine lovers: you buy that gorgeous bottle of vintage Bordeaux, only to find that the tannins have a death grip on the subtle, complex flavors hidden underneath. You pour your bottle into a decanter, and four hours later, like magic, all of those hidden flavors suddenly announce themselves to your palate. Your wine has gone into full-bloom before your very eyes (and nose).
The Epiphany That Comes from Your First Bottle of Vintage Latour
After spending most of your young adult life longing for that fine bottle of vintage Chateau Latour you’ve been eyeing for years, you can finally buy it for yourself. That first bottle of fine wine is a life-altering event that both excites you and ruins your palate for eternity.
Converting Your Best Friend from Two Buck Chuck Fan to Grand Cru Aficionado
After listening to you ramble on about your latest bottles of Grand Cru Burgundy, your best friend finally gives in and joins you for a wine tasting. One of the best moments in a wine lover’s life is watching a friend’s eyes light up the moment that they try their first bottle of fine wine. You have made them wine enthusiasts for life; their taste buds will thank you and their wallets will hate you.
Handing Your 21-Year-Old Child That First Glass of Fine Wine
When you found out you were going to have a kid, you bought the finest bottle of wine you could find from your baby’s birth year and lovingly stored that bottle in your cellar for almost two decades. On his 21st birthday, you finally get to show him the fruits of your labor. The pressure is high, but from the moment your family opens that first bottle of wine together, you enjoy every minute of it, no matter how the wine tastes.
Taking Notes on a Wine, and Finding out That You and Robert Parker Think Alike
You try an absolutely brilliant bottle of Abreu Cappella, finding notes of coffee, incense, licorice, black currant, and earthy leather in the bouquet. After seeing that Robert Parker reviewed the same bottle for Wine Advocate, you peek at his tasting notes to see which flavors you missed. Your heart skips a beat when you read the words, “Lots of coffee bean, incense, licorice, new saddle leather, black currant…” It’s proof that your palate is on top of its game.
Correctly Identifying a Wine in a Blind Tasting for the First Time
Finding kinship with Robert Parker’s astute taste is a glorious feeling, but nothing quite compares to the first bottle you correctly identify with your palate alone. You have countless regions to choose from, in hundreds of potential varietals, and you’ve managed to pinpoint the exact grape, terroir, and winemaking techniques used on the bottle sitting before you. That first correct answer makes you feel like a wine rockstar.
Getting Comped for a Wine Tasting
It doesn’t matter whether you’re a seasoned wine tasting pro or an amateur still learning your way around wine swirling etiquette, getting comped for a wine tasting will always feel like a huge bonus. Who doesn’t love a free wine sample? And it leaves you with a little extra cash to buy yet another bottle from the winery.
Discovering a New Favorite DRC Vintage
You didn’t think DRC could top that succulent bottle of 2004 La Tache you had for your anniversary dinner last year. But that was before you discovered the 2011 vintage sitting on the top shelf of your favorite wine shop. The moment that first taste of a new vintage hits your lips is like experiencing your first love all over again. You’re giddy with anticipation, and no matter how hard you try, you simply can’t get your new favorite bottle out of your head.
When a Vintage’s Flavor Evolves into Something Legendary
You buy a case of trendy wine, and after drinking the first bottle, you wonder why you wasted your money on such a strange wine. You’re ready to get rid of it, but months later, a miracle happens. Like the story of the ugly duckling, that same vintage that you thought was horrible in April has evolved into a delightful treasure by November. Rather than throwing the wine out, you immediately order another two cases.
Finally Clearing the Wait List for Screaming Eagle
After days of planning, months of researching allocations lists, and years of checking your email twice a day, you finally move from the Screaming Eagle wait list to the coveted membership status. This is a moment that happens so rarely that it takes at least a full hour for the news to sink in. Getting on that perfect wine mailing list is the wine lover’s version of a college acceptance letter.
Making Friends with Someone Who Owns a Huge Wine Cellar
You’re not saying that you made friends with your neighbor down the road only because he has one of the nicest wine cellars you’ve ever seen, but it certainly helps. When you have friends with amazing wine cellars, you’re often one of the first people they call to join them in tasting the wines in their collections. You finally have someone that you can nerd out about wine with, and you never feel guilty about boring them with your statistics on 2014 Grand Cru Bordeaux.
Scoring the Wine Deal of the Year
Out of curiosity, you spend the afternoon perusing your local wine shop, not looking for anything in particular. As you circle the aisles, you come across a wine you’ve been hunting online for months. Your palms are already sweating in anticipation, but when you see the price tag, you nearly faint. The wine shop is selling the bottle for an absolute steal, and you can hardly believe your eyes. An afternoon window shopping trip has resulted in your best investment of the year.
Drinking a Cold Glass of Rose on a Scorching Summer Afternoon
When it’s nearly 100 degrees outside, the last thing you want is a heavy red; you need something crisp, fruity, and icy cool to cut through the brutal heat. The moment that pale pink liquid touches your lips, you feel every muscle in your body relax into a puddle.
When Your Attractive Date Orders a Trendy Bottle of Grower Champagne
By the time dinner is over, you’re already prepared to ask for a second date, but when your date orders a fine bottle of grower Champagne, you’re nearly ready to propose. They’ve just identified the most obscure Champagne on the wine list, and they knew exactly which vintage would pair well with dessert. It’s immensely satisfying finding someone to share your life and your love of wine.
Making Friends with the Table Next Door over a Bottle of Pinot Noir
Normally, diners keep to their own tables, rarely so much as glancing at the table next to them. But when you buy an incredible bottle of wine that you know you can’t drink alone, you simply have to share it with the diners around you. The best way to make new friends–and ensure they’re wine lovers–is bonding over a great bottle of Pinot Noir at a fantastic restaurant.
When Your Sommelier Finds Your Holy Grail Wine
There are thousands of bottles of wine that your sommelier could have chosen for you, and he happened to find the one bottle that was impossibly perfect. It complemented your dinner, was well within your budget, and tasted like a revelation. You had no idea that this wine existed, and now you’re ordering three cases of it on your phone.
Finding the Perfect Wine for Your Home-Cooked Meal
Sommeliers are trained to find the perfect food and wine pairing, but for the rest of us wine lovers, this isn’t an easy task. When you finally nail that perfect food and wine pairing, it makes you feel as if you’re the world’s leading expert on wine, if only for a moment. You look on with pride as your guests compliment your flavor combinations, and you can’t help but grin from ear to ear.
Taking a Much-Needed Wine Break with a Pour of Scotch or a Well Made Craft Beer
When you drink wine nearly every day of the week, occasionally your palate needs a break from even the finest wine producers. One of the most overlooked pleasures for any wine lover is the first taste of aged scotch or hand-crafted, deliciously hoppy beer after a long binge of fine wines. It’s like a mini-vacation for your palate; you know that wine will always be your first love, but you also know when it’s time to take a rest, so that you can come back to it ready to be amazed.
By: Vinfolio Staff
(Grabbed from: http://blog.vinfolio.com/2016/08/19/20-simple-pleasures-all-wine-lovers-can-relate-to/)