The Power of Wine: Creating Memories and Moments That Last a Lifetime

There’s a lot to love about wine. The ritual of uncorking the bottle, the clinking of glasses, the alchemy of selecting a food pairing … the list goes on. Lots to love.  

I read a lot about wine, mostly because it helps me find words that I can use to explain a wine experience to others (and myself). Reading about wine gives me a vocabulary where I previously had none. Now, at least, I can describe wines to people in a thoughtful way, even if it’s in the typical “geeky way” of us Butterfields.

The Time-Traveling Powers of Wine: A Personal Journey

There are many other dimensions to wine. But what I’m really interested in is wine as a personal experience. It’s not just about how wine makes us feel (which can go too far), but rather how wine can help us be. Just be … in a moment, a place and a time.  

Everyone’s different, but the thing that has always surprised me (in a good way) about wine is its ability to help me travel in time. Wine pulls me into a moment. Maybe it’s the moment I’m currently in, or maybe it’s from my past. 

When I take that first sip of Carménère, for example, I’m usually transported to a lovely, but now defunct, winery in Walla Walla called Tertulia Cellars.  

Standing at their graceful and arching tasting bar, I remember the first taste of Carménère poured for me. The duality of its black and green pepper notes – really elegant wine.

These days, I can open a bottle of our own Carménère and be right back there on that dusty summer day in Walla Walla. Good stuff.

It’s no surprise that certain tastes and scents are evocative of memory. We’ve all been there – Biting into that holiday cookie and being transported back to grandma’s kitchen; zooming back to childhood. 

One of my favorite old-timey things in my kitchen is a recipe box filled with ancient recipe cards.  The stained and dog-eared cards are the best. Let’s see what we’ve go: Oh! My first recipe for Chile Verde! The recipe calls for a tiny amount of nutmeg to be added to the pork. It’s a little culinary twist that pulls me back to Colorado and another time. 

To me, wine is a lot like my recipe box. In one sip, wine can teleport me back to a time and moment. It’s wine’s best superpower.  

So here’s a suggestion … just for your consideration: Next time you sit with a glass of wine, forget the usual conventions of wine tasting (which are typically some derivation of swirl, see, sniff and sip) and try another approach, one that focuses on the wine experience and how it fits into your life journey. 

Experience Wine as a Journey: Settle, Senses, Savor

Settle – Take a few moments of silence (your friends will understand) and come to your center.

Senses – Turn them on. Experience the wine using your eyes, nose, and palate; and then

Savor – Just BE in the moment. Savor every bit of the wine experience.

If the wine takes you to another time and place, that’s great. If it doesn’t, that’s OK, too. It’s your chance to make a memory that you can visit later on.

In this nutty world, wine gives us the perfect excuse to suspend time and just be. So, next time you are sipping, give yourself permission to dispense with the usual wine nomenclature (e.g., tannins, mouth feel, aromatics) and go another way. 

Me? Well, I just happen to be having a beautiful glass of rosé. I’m at the kitchen counter, but I’m really on the train between Paris and Avignon, watching the evening sun cast a glow on a field of canola. Such an amazing yellow.  

When and where does your mind take you when you drink wine? Let us know in the comments!