"There is nothing so sweetly sublime as the light of dusk on a field of vines..." Above: a phantasmagorical expression of vines, oaks and olive trees nestling in the hills.
Today is Saturday and I happened to glimpse a
picture of a winery online. (Not the picture above, but another picture you can see
here of Heron Hill Winery in New York.)
For whatever reason, it sparked an evocative memory from the past and voila – my mind was off on a whirl.
At this moment, three quickies come to mind when I think of ultimate luxury – one, wineries, second, an exclusive Ferrari collectors’ meet at some secret hideaway, third, a Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm owners’ gala fest.
(As for Dinner at the Windsor Castle, world cruises, super yacht fests and the like, another time perhaps.)
This moment, I will just wax elongated on wineries.
Wineries Sweet Wineries…
Wineries are places of men’s “dreams.”
Once upon a time, some man, (perhaps woman), fond of the way of the grape, decided to plant the fruit and sell their fermented juices. (We won’t consider those who inherit a winery.)
After much research and more heartache than he could have imagined, the new winery owner finally acquired land and vines and commenced planting.
As he worked the soil, ever subject to Nature’s truculence, he eventually harvested his succulent little globules experiencing surging, rousing elation (and even disbelief) with the taste of his first, great fermented pressings.
He could not help but grow more and more quality conscious. Eventually, even exceedingly so.
After all, both in the making and the tasting, there’s SUCH a huge difference between good and great, even, when the difference is minute.
In fact, when the quality difference in wines seems barely perceptible to the uninitiated, that tiny little different can distinguish a nice experience from a transformative experience.
And so it just naturally transpires, that the Temple of Sublime Pleasures of the Almighty Grape must be matched with mood elevating, classically stunning and evocative architectural surroundings along with surreal, sublime cuisine.
This is the way of the wine aficionado. And of course…. along with the imbibing comes the infinitely heightening pleasures of the alcohol muse. Everything takes on a glow.
Therefore… if you are invited to a wine tasting at the winery owner’s home, you may very well experience the greatest, transcendant, culinary experience of your life.
You will most likely be surrounded by the mystical melded beauty of candlelight and dusk, stone masonry and polished wood, silverware of purest carat, flowers of the most delicate fragrance and color, an unforgettable view, food of unparalleled taste, finest invisible hovering service, and convivial banter both pleasant and bright.
Perhaps we can speculate that a Ferrari Get Together at a Winery in Kentucky would truly take the cake.
I’m game.
~~~