OK, there’s the problem… I do take it personally. I know I shouldn’t. I didn’t make the wine, and I can’t predict what someone will and won’t like, but I’m responsible for not picking the right wine for this friend, and also responsible for wasting a bottle of killer stuff I could have opened when someone else was over. Someone who would have loved it as much as I do, which is, statistically speaking, the other 99 out of 100.

Me: (Now I start defending the wine.) But this red has it all! The nose is smoky and has chocolate and black plum, but then (sniiiiiff)… oh, get that? There’s a layer of cherry fruit there that lifts all the other aromas up!

TFFKAS: (Puts his nose in his glass and breathes in deep, but this is clearly to appease me.) Yeah, I suppose I get that.

Me: OK, but check the palate – (sip, swirl the wine around in the mouth, swallow). It’s really big and rich, tannins that make almost a chalky texture. It’s like food! Do you taste all the black cherry? And then… right there… the finish shows plenty of acidity and tannin. This is a wine to hold onto for a few years for sure!

TFFKAS: For sure. Better to hold onto it indefinitely.

Me: Smart ass. Let me see if I have a Coke in the fridge for you.

If there’s a silver lining here, it’s this: I’ve already identified the statistical freak who doesn’t love this wine. That makes odds all the better that you, and anyone you have over will love this wine. That is, of course, unless we hang out in the same circles.

Cheers,
TSW

* - Chimp Wine is a WoW designation signifying a no-brainer, must-buy wine (as in, "You'd have to be a chimp not to buy this wine.").

This is one of those wine’s that’s so good, and so universally appealing, it becomes unfathomable that someone might not actually like it.

So, what do you do when you come across someone who actually isn’t nuts over it? Sadly, I can tell you, and I’m disappointed to admit that I didn’t respond at the top of my game.

We were sitting at the dinner table, I had poured us both some of this wine (it had been open for a while) and it went down like this:

Me: OK, it rules, right? You absolutely love it, no?

The Friend Formerly Known As Smart: Uh, no, I guess.

Me: No as in yes? I’m sure that was my fault. I asked the question and ended it with the negative, as though I were French. You do love it, yes?

TFFKAS: No, as in, no -- not really. It’s fine, but just not my thing.

Me: (Trying not to spit out my wine, as it’s so good I don’t want to waste any). Not your thing?!? Why, because it’s so good? If I knew mediocre wine was your new thing, I would have run up to TJ’s and picked up some Two Buck (Up) Chuck for you.

TFFKAS: Shut up. It’s not that. I still like good wine. This particular bottle just didn’t do it for me. Sheesh, don’t take it personally.