Snippets with Shannon: Chapter 3
Just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's bad.
Let me say that again, just because you don't like it, doesn't mean it's bad. Now, as I'm sure you all already know, my personality is just as sweet as molasses (unless it's first thing in the morning,) but that doesn’t necessarily mean I like my wine to match my personality. Even though a super sweet, jammy wine may be the last glass I would choose, I'll never say no to a tasting. Why you ask? Why would I knowingly choose to drink something I probably won't enjoy? Well, I guess you could say, I'm always open to the possibility of changing my mind.
A wise man (cough, cough Tim) once told me, that a wise man once said, “drink the wine in your glass, not the wine in your head.” When I first heard this I had to stop and ponder what that really meant. I understood it on a surface level, but it goes deeper than just those twelve words. What it means is, don’t let your assumptions keep you from the potential of a new experience.
If I had a dollar for every person that immediately shunned the idea of our Dry Riesling all because of a preconceived notion that it is "sweet," well, I would probably be able to buy a couple bottles of Suhru Wine. For a majority of people, Riesling = too Sweet and while I'd like to think that I'm pretty persuasive, I can't always convince people to change their minds, so, unfortunately, they miss out on tasting our 0.9% residual sugar, DRY Riesling made from the grapes of the Finger Lakes which is one of the top tier regions in the world for Riesling. Now, when someone does take my advice and gives our Riesling a chance, they almost always are pleasantly surprised. Heck, sometimes they even buy an entire bottle because they never thought they would find a Riesling that they enjoyed so much! Of course, the pleasantly surprised reactions are a huge testament to the incredible talent that our winemaker, Russell Hearn possesses. He truly is a mad scientist, artist, and magician all in one but it’s also because at Suhru, we like to present wines that you've either never heard of (think Teroldego and La Crescent) or wines done in a way that isn't typical (Dry Riesling, cool climate Australia style Shiraz, and Pinot Grigio—I dare you to find another true Pinot Grigio, not Pinot Gris on Long Island.)
Could this be a political post? Sure… there's one generation that seems to be a bit too “stuck in their ways,’ while another generation is trying to “change too much,” and then my generation is the middle child that just wants happiness and balance between everyone. But honestly, I like to keep those political ice cubes out of my wine. I have read, though, that our taste buds change every seven years. Whether this is true or just a human biology myth, I know for a fact that there are things I've grown to like as an adult that I never would have thought about consuming as a kid. If I do nothing else, I want to encourage you to live outside your preconceived notions; re-try the things you’ve already decided you don't like. I mean, even Santa Claus checks his list twice before he decides who's naughty and who's nice, right?