The world celebrates the beginning of a new year today. Some
of you lucky folks welcomed the new year yesterday, but at press time, most of
us were already embracing 2014.
My guess is that very few of you are in the appropriate
emotional state to hear more about drinking. That’s understandable. Stick with
me for just another few paragraphs anyway. I want to explain how a nice glass
of wine today can get you in a better place for the new year.
You’ll have to slow down. A nice glass of wine – and I
prefer a rich, full-bodied red wine for the new year – is going to force you to
slow down and focus on it. That’s not true for our other friends behind the
bar. You’ll have to gulp a shot. Keeping beer cold and effervescent demands
some measure of attention. And while hard liquor has the power to slow you
down, a nice glass of tequila doesn’t have the volume to keep you occupied for
very long. Stick with a glass of wine, and slow down. Savor it. Take it sip by
sip. You have a whole year ahead of you.
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| Alexa? Alexa, come on! You're thinking too hard! |
Wine stimulates thought. I know, I know. We’ve all seen that
brave soul at the end of the bar, gazing deeply into the melting ice cubes as
they settle into his glass of whiskey. Something’s on his mind. It’s probably a
pretty deep question. Will she ever come back? Was everyone right about me? Are
Tony Romo and Kyle Orton really that different? But you know what he’s not
thinking about? He’s not thinking about how watery his drink is getting. Your
glass of red is gently breathing there in its glass, ready to warm your viscera
and stimulate your gray matter. It only took me a third of a glass to realize
that Romo would probably have done the same thing Orton did against the Eagles.
Then I was able to turn to other, more mysterious things, like whether now is a
good time to take things to the next level with Jason Garrett. Remember, the
active ingredient in wine is truth. The same cannot be said for Johnnie Walker
and Captain Morgan, can it? (In case you’re wondering, wine said I should wait
to have that talk with Jason. Tequila would have told me to go to his house. I don't ask tequila important questions anymore.)
Wine likes company. I’m not talking about friends, although
I do love a nice drink with my fellow oenophiles. I’m talking about food. Something
about a nice red makes food rise to the occasion. I find I can taste the lash
of the grill more with the help of a glass of wine. A bit of cheese finds depth
and dimension under the influence of wine. Even the lowly french fry enjoys the
company of a sophisticated wine. Because you’re drinking slowly, you have the
freedom to concentrate on your senses more. A good meal with a good wine is a
special blessing, and the perfect setting for a nice long meditation on this
new year. Starting 2014 by indulging your senses – how can that be a wrong
idea?
It’s almost nine in the morning on New Year’s Day. What are
you waiting for? I can hear your corkscrew gently weeping from here.
Happy New Year!
**Alexa Day is here to meet you on the first Wednesday of every month, and she is usually sober. Promise. Check her out here for a new way to bring the sensual into your everyday life, and then follow her on Facebook during the month. You can also be a part of her unfortunate TV habits on Twitter. And don't worry. Wine told her that working on her next book would take her mind off Jason Garrett.
I'm a zinfandel fan myself, but I must admit you make a good case for maybe a nice merlot with the lasagne I'll be serving my men later today. (My sister the wine snob told me zinfandel doesn't count as wine. ... Who knew?) And I must also raise a toast to Jason Garrett (for your sake only) and send him wishes for a much improved 2014 season...as long as he doesn't beat the Giants or Redskins. :-)
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks for lifting a glass to my poor sweetie. He's wearing it well, but I know he's having to think hard about what happens next. As for me, I usually run to my go-to shiraz for dinner, but I do like a nice merlot if I need to do some heavy thinking. Shiraz makes me want to act instead of think, I guess. Hope the merlot got along well with that lasagne!
DeleteHappy New Year, Alexa! We red winos, er, wine-lovers should stick together. You make a very convincing case, not that it takes much for me to belly up to the bar and order a glass of red. Leah, Zin IS wine, but it's kinda wine-lite. No, really, if you like it, it's perfect. Red Wine Tip - older is better. If possible buy the oldest vintage you can afford and you'll find the taste is much smoother, the tanins less bitter. I had a 96 Merlot with our Christmas turkey (don't faint, Alexa - the assigned bringer of wine forgot and we had to make due with my personal stash) and EVERYONE even those less than enthusiastic winos, er, wine drinkers pronounced it very enjoyable! For today, I'm doing mimosa's to help clear away that leftover bubbly (photo on fb) and I toast you and your blog! Good luck with Jason and good call on the tequilla.
ReplyDeleteI can totally see a merlot with the turkey! Or with just the dressing. :) I checked out the photo of your mimosa -- love it! That's exactly the size a mimosa should be. I'm glad I ignored tequila's advice with regard to Jason. Tequila doesn't always understand people's feelings about things.
DeleteA full bodied red wine is quite delicious, and when taking a sip, you can truly feel a little bit more of heaven on earth.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed! The great beyond is never more accessible than it is with a glass of red wine. Unless you have a fireplace. :)
DeleteI read your tag line and saw the words; wine, meditation. I don't think I've ever seen those two put together before, yet they fit perfectly.
ReplyDeleteNext time I raise a glass, I'll be meditating too!