Why
You Should Always Carry a Corkscrew
Recently
I was at the J. Paul Getty museum with some art
friends. The occasion was memorable for many reasons;
a few of this group I had not seen for a many
years, others I was meeting for the first time.
This
was a day of firsts. I had never been to The Getty
before, and the skies were clear enough to see
Catalina from the museum balconies. (Those of
you who know LA understand the Catalina view thing.)
The
exhibit I had gone to see was the "Pacific Standard
Time: Crosscurrents in LA". One of the 'coolest'
pieces was Ed Ruscha's 1968 painting, "The Los
Angeles County Museum of Art on Fire". A funny
blog on the meaning of the paintings can be found
at LACMA.wordpress.com. Briefly, at the time it
was being painted, contemporary artists were angry
over not being included in their city's art scene
- there was no place to display their work. Then
the LACMA opened - a strict architectural box
of a thing surrounded by a mote - very auspicious
and not at all reminiscent of a place to expect
modern art - still there was few openings for
the local arts. The painting expressed the feeling
of anger and frustration perfectly and hosted
a very lively discussion from our group.
Another
painting of interest to me was "A Bigger Splash"
by David Hockney. I had always thought that Hockney
had drizzled a bit of white paint on his canvas
and made a few sweeping strokes to create the
splash in the pool. Up close, in fact he had used
a tool much like a fork to rake into the wet paint
to achieve the splash. The fact that the viewer
never gets to see who (or what) just entered the
water has always been a delight for me.
Then
there was lunch. Our group had managed to procure
a private board room for our get-together but
we had to go down stairs a couple of floors to
get something to eat. Coming up in the elevator
with trays of soup was hilarious; all of us agreed
this scene should be in a movie. Choosing my meal,
I had taken a chance and purchased a $10 half
bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, agreeing to split
it with a new acquaintance, but was unconvinced
that this was a good idea. Just as one is advised
not to prepare a dish for the first time when
company is about to arrive (it rarely works out
well), the same I think, is true with wines. Shouldn't
one have already tasted and approved of a wine
before serving it to guests, to avoid a fiasco?
I have never heard of the cab, never seen its
label and was more than a little concerned that
I did not have a pocket aerator with me. A bad
wine is often the reason a situation is remembered
- for the wrong reasons - and I was not looking
forward to this being one of them.
We
made ourselves comfortable and tasted our lunch.
Ah, the food is fabulous!
Let's
try the wine.
Cork.
No
corkscrew.
The
investment of time away from my lunch date while
I hunted down a corkscrew, worry was added to
my insecurity. Why hadn't I thought of this before
leaving the cafeteria? However, in finding a sommelier,
I also found the restaurant. Elegant and inviting;
artsy and upscale, though relaxed; I will definitely
be returning.
Back
in our private digs, my new friend uncorked our
mystery wine..
Beautiful,
deep, vampire red colour - you know, the one with
a touch of maroon in it spilled into our glasses.
The very little, but graceful nose told me this
will NOT be awful. There's hope! The first sip;
full bodied, a bit spicy, but subtle and well
blended, with a lightly sweet aftertaste and a
long peppery, astringent finish. We look at each
other and I realize my wine lover friend had the
same worries, and the same relief.
"Mmmm,
that's good." We agree. "What is this?"
I
turn the bottle around: Hahn. The label has a
signature on it (not unlike my own penmanship)
that says 'Nicky Hahn'. Hmm, central coast, 2009.
I make a mental note to get more of this. I picked
up the cork to reseal the last portion and notice
it was embossed with the winery's website. I have
heard some do this, but this is the first time
I've seen it. Great idea; much easier to pop the
cork in your pocket or handbag rather than the
whole bottle. Good idea for those who don't carry
pen and notepad and you want to remember the wine.
As
expected, the red elixir opened the conversation
to a animated and enjoyable exchange and topped
off a perfect day… truly a day of firsts.
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