Wine Diva

I kept trying to smell the aromas and bouquets instead of just smelling them. Then all at once in the tasting exam of my CWA certificate course the aromas and smells from each and every wine voluntarily jumped out of the glass for me to absorb, enjoy and describe. 11 months of wine club and wine school swirling and sniffing, swirling and sniffing and being mostly at a loss for accurate descriptives and then mumbling a few guesses. Under pressure I just smelled the wine without any debate between my nose and brain about what I was or wasn’t smelling. No time for 2nd guessing, no time for confusion; one sniff and all associations flowed from my nose and onto my exam page, a bit like a full marks nose bleed. Our senses are amazing when it’s crunch time!

2007 is supposed to be winding down and coming to an end. I should be crossing t’s and dotting i’s, pouring a glass of bubbly and taking in the highveld sunsets. Yet I still feel so wound up, tightly! This year is rushing to a finish like a runaway train and there’s no getting off. I want to sit back and comtemplate how special the year has been, how much I have grown and learnt.

If I compare my life this year to cultivating a grapevine then I have had to really trim down some unruly unwanted shoots and nurture others to grow and flourish in the direction I desired. I have learnt so much about wine this year. I really haven’t been so great at keeping you updated about it all but I have really been earning my diva keep. I signed up for 2 courses at the Cape Wine Academy and successfully completed and passed both; made some new friends; swirled, sniffed, loved and lapped up all things fine and wine. I also joined a wine club and learnt how to score and comment and compare notes with fellow tasters.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my wine experiences, courses, club and events this year and taken my learning, passion and palate to a whole new sensory level. I suppose I have concentrated on forming my own ideas, tastes and vocabulary about wines this year instead of just taking other peoples’ written word for it. I plan to wow you in the New Year with a whole new Carowine experience.