The northern Minnesota, Iron Range town where my wife grew up was a true melting pot of immigrants from all over, salted heavily with Swedes, Finns, Norwegians, Croats, Irish, and Italians. This made for some wonderful sayings being handed down within families, around the town, and from family to family!
One of those individuals was a close family friend by the name of Brandy. Among other things, Brandy used to frequently say “to each his each”. I got to thinking about this phrase recently due to politics, but then realized it very much applies to how I view our wine holdings. To paraphrase Brandy, I adhere to a philosophy of “to each their each” when it comes to wine!
The best part of this is I can cast the multitude of wine ‘rules’, which are constantly foisted upon us by society and especially the industry, into the trash can. Following the belief of “to each their each” is enormously freeing! It also gives a person permission to be themselves, which is always solid!
The first time I met my future wife’s grandparents I was a confirmed beer drinker. No wine for me in those days. Nope! After far too many visits to the porcelain god after nights cavorting with the likes of Annie Greensprings, Ripple, MD 20-20, Thunderbird, and Boone’s Farm I quit wine. Even though it was handy and usually drunk from a cheap bota bag slyly carried under one’s sweatshirt. Just typing those old names tightens my gut and makes me taste bile in my mouth. However, my future grandfather-in-law was Italian and he made his own wine in the basement of his northern Minnesota home. When he offered me my first glass, straight out of the barrel, I most certainly was not going to turn it down! That night I came to taste a truly amazingly intense, flavorful, dry, red wine. That night sold me on what a great wine should taste like. Big, bold, dry, and red. It continues to this day! Oh, and it is to be enjoyed twelve months of the year! Yep! Spring, summer, autumn, and winter. I thank Brandy for helping me enjoy wine my way!
Another wine story came to my mind right away! My brother-in-law was at a high-end wine dinner in California. Only the best foods, great wines, and the guest of honor was Robert Mondavi. As Robert rose to address the tuxedoed crowd, he raised a glass of that evening’s featured Cabernet as if to toast. With everyone in the room glued to this wine icon’s every word, he grabbed two ice cubes from his water glass and plunked them down into that precious red wine. Above the gasps from the crowd he declared “if this is how you like to drink your wine, go right ahead!” He then continued explaining how everyone needs to just drink the wine they love however they enjoy it most. Once again, old Brandy was right!
Coming up soon is my favorite holiday of them all. Thanksgiving! I love the meaning, the gathering of family and friends, the feasting, and the lack of gifts. One of my favorite aspects is that we host the feast each year. Our crowd runs between 20 and 30+. In a tip of my cap to Brandy again I do not pair the feast and the wines. Rather I allow our guests free rein in the wine cellar to pick what they want to drink before, during, and after the meal! The epitome of ‘to each their each!’
Just a few days ago I used Brandy’s philosophy when someone asked me a question about our wine cellar. They disagreed with my focus on Napa Valley red wines saying “There is no reason for you to focus on Napa reds. There are thousands of wonderful wines in the world and you are foolish to be limiting yourself”.
I just smiled and answered “to each his each!”
