Is there anyone who has not seen Susan Boyle singing on Britain’s Got Talent? Or Diversity, the dance group who practiced in front of the bus station since there was a ‘free’ mirror wall? Incredible achievements. (If you haven’t seen it, first watch Susan Boyle’s initial performance. Watch how everyone reacts. Unbelievable. 25 million views on YouTube.) I can’t help it, I find Britain’s Got Talent captivating. Wonderful to see all these talented people. The other night it struck me that it’s almost the same thing with wine.
Let me explain. To listen to Placido Domingo, or watch Rudolf Nureyev dance, well, of course it is amazing performances, but you wouldn’t expect anything else would you? And to get a ticket you have to mortgage the house, sort of. To listen to Susan Boyle (and watch all the others on BGT) is entirely different. It’s a discovery and it’s an experience in another dimension. To drink a Romanée Conti, a Petrus, a Grange, or a Screaming Eagle is outstanding and delicious but, (dare I say?) so what? What else did you expect? You pay thousands of euros so getting a bit of bang is only to be expected, isn’t it? But to find a small grower, in the back of beyond, that you have never heard of, and then think “wow! This is exceptional!”, that’s different. And then if the wine only costs a fraction, perhaps some tens of euros, it only makes things better.
In other words, drinking, tasting and appreciating great and famous (and expensive) wines is rather easy. It is certainly delicious wines and great experiences, but it is easy. But to find something different, the undiscovered, something that merits more attention and that surprises you, that requires a bit more effort. But it is also much more fun. And in the end perhaps you have contributed to giving some very talented but unknown wine maker a bit more of the attention and appreciation that he/she deserves. Just like those fabulous talents on Britain’s Got Talent.
So there you have a little bit of our wine drinking philosophy.
This issue of the BKWine Brief is a little different from what it usually is. We have some texts that are a little bit longer about some of the things we’ve discovered recently and fewer short stories about various wine news items. It wasn’t really intended that way. It just happened, since we had so much we wanted to share with you. But it would be interesting to hear what your reactions are! Do you prefer the longer text we write about tastings and such things? Or is it better with the short news items, like it was before? Do let us know – with praise (yes please!) or with comments and suggestions on how to make things better (yes please, that too!). We’d love to hear from you. We have some 16,000 subscribers today and we want to continue making the Brief better.
One evolution is that we are trying things in the “Web 2.0” of wine. We hope you are already familiar with our videos on BKWine TV on YouTube. (Not to mention our wine blogs.) And since some time back we’re also trying out Twitter and Facebook. At the moment it’s an experiment to try and figure out what you can do with it. But if you’re interested in that kind of things do “follow” us on Twitter and “friend” us on Facebook. Might be an opportunity for you too to see what it’s all about. You can find our links to Twitter and Facebook at the end of this intro.
It should soon be summer, even though it’s not really something you notice in Paris these days (we’ve had terrible weather this past week). That means that you should be planning for your autumn wine trip! Take a look at our autumn wine tours to Bordeaux. Or get in touch with us if you are interested in organising a custom wine tour. Last year we organised some 30 wine tours to destinations in France (of course, living in Paris), and to Portugal, Spain, Italy (Tuscany, Veneto, Piedmont), Germany, Austria… And it would be a great occasion to meet you.
Enjoy reading this month’s Brief!
Britt & Per
PS: Recommend to your friends to read the Brief or forward it to them !
