Pinots Are Like Peaches

If you're lucky, there are some aspects of your job that you love. For me, it is traveling from winery to winery - long days on the road discovering new producers and great wines. During half the year, this task brings along a side benefit you might not immediately think of - an ample supply of farmer's markets and roadside fruit stands. As a lover of good food and wine, such healthy meal alternatives helps prevent undue waist expansion. Fresh produce lovers measure the passing of the seasons by the farmer's changing array of produce. My favorite season of the year is peach season! I'm a huge peach fan, which is no easy thing. It takes fortitude. Perseverance. Like being a Cub's fan. A willingness to be disappointed, over and over, until finally rewarded with that one, rare peach - perfectly ripe with ample, chin-dribbling juice... Sadly, many people find peaches to be dry and pithy. Like the ones my wife bought for $7/pound at Balducci's ("Not just a grocery store"). Her bagful of huge, gourmet peaches were so pithy and mealy she found it more satisfying to hurl them against the wall of her shower than to suffer through the disappointment of eating them. Expensive catharsis. Pinot Passion Being a peach fan is great training for becoming a collector of Pinot Noir. Those familiar with the grape know it provides the most exhilarating wine experience imaginable, and know they must taste a surprising amount of Vin Ordinaire before finding pinot perfection. And while we do a commendable job of selecting pinots for our subscriber shipments, not everyone's palate favors the same style, and some experimentation is still required. Those with true Pinot Passion enjoy this hunt. For the rest, there's always Merlot. Dave Chambers, Wine Merchant Today's Quote: "An apple is an excellent thing. Until you have tried a peach!" (George du Maurier, 1834-1896)