Celebrate the Little Things...with Wine.

As a counseling graduate student I need to complete a 8 month internship before graduating, and today was my first one-on-one hour with a client at my internship site. Over the last couple day my anxiety levels were fluctuating between low to moderate, so I was excited when I ended the hour with my client and realized my anxiety had hardly been present at all during our time together. Furthermore, it was affirming when he stated he was looking forward to our next session together. When I got home and shared the good news about my day with Jessi I thought it would be appropriate to honor the occasion with a nice bottle of wine.

A couple of weeks back, when I was at my new favorite wine shop Esquin Wine Merchants, I asked an employee if there were any screaming deals in the Australian wine section. (Yes, I actually used the words "screaming deals," and I immediately wondered why those words chose to come out at that moment. Then I remembered I am a graduate student and it all made perfect sense.) To my relief and delight my choice of language seemed to spark a flame of excitement in him. He immediately informed me that there indeed was a screaming deal in the Australian wines. He then quickly walked to this section and pulled down a bottle of the 2003 St. John's Road, a Barossa Valley wine. He then shared how a lady had just brought a case and a half back the day before because she prefered the old world Rhone style syrah's to the new world Australian Shiraz's. He shared how excited the staff was because they were then able to buy two bottles each of this wine. I was sold. For $13.69 I was told I would not be disappointed, and I wasn't.

Tonight was the night to let this wine shine. After 45 minutes in the decanter I poured Jessi and myself a glass to raise in celebration. Both of our noses spent several minutes in the glass before we remembered that there was a further step in the process; that being the tasting of the wine. The bouquet was powerfully opulent. Right away blackberry fruit sprung out of the glass, but this was quickly followed by the rich aroma of prunes and the smell of a cave, yes a cave. This bouquet has smitten me. When I finally found time to taste this wine I was equally impressed. This wine exhibited great fruit flavors, predominately flavors of stewed plums. It also tasted just like a freshly raked pile of autumn leaves mixed with a handful of dirt that had recently been rained on. That is what it would taste like if one were to taste such things. I really liked this aspect of the wine. The mouth feel was smooth, leaving a lingering hint of fruit for some time. I would rate this wine a solid 91 points, and recommend to anyone who likes new world fruit bombs to snatch this wine up if you can find it.

I could have easily overlooked my accomplishment today. All too often I do overlook the important moments in my life, but I have made a point of celebrating more of these moments in my life and the lives of those I know and love. Wine is one of the many things that helps mark a special accomplishment, occasion, relationship, etc. Next time you feel the beginnings of excitement regarding a major or minor accomplishment, excitement over a great relationship, or other occasion treat yourself to a glass, cup, or bottle of your favorite beverage. Just know that the celebration will be that much sweeter if you are drinking wine!