So I got home, tired, sticky, very sticky, and hungry, just in time for the 8 o’clock news. I gazed at the opening news menu, trying hard to look surprised and in awe, as I pondered on the fact that news is no longer what it used to be. For one thing, it used to be just that, news! But no, tonight’s menu read Obama, Obama and more Obama; the great Budget of Malta was read to one and all; the credit crunch relents not; and the weather will be sticky, drab, and sticky again. So what’s new? I knew it all before 8 o’clock. What did surprise me is that so many people stayed up for most of the night, popcorn and beer in hand, waiting to see who the USA’s next President was going to be. As if we didn’t know already! Never has the writing on the wall been so clear in my lifetime. McCain’s choice of Sarah Pallin by his side was probably Obama’s biggest boost, because from the little I saw of her, she made Paris Hilton look infinitely more presidential.
The credit crunch actually brings a smile to my face. You see, so many people with money in banks are so worried and concerned about what’s going to happen to their dosh, yet I am stone broke, and in this case, have nothing to worry about!
The Budget came and went, like so many before it. As far as I’m concerned, as long as the price of canned luncheon was thankfully not raised, then I’m ok.
The weather? Well… I had been praying for winter to kick in all summer, and now that it’s meant to be getting a tad cooler, I would much rather have a scorching summer afternoon than such riħ isfel. I really should have known, my prayers are never really answered, with a ‘yes’ at least.
As you can deduce, I happen to be latently passive and fatalistic in these matters. I always have to lump it and move on. Not much I can do about the US, the Budget, the credit crunch or the weather is there?
Well, wait a minute, maybe there is. I switch on the light in my little space beneath the staircase, look through my toys, and pick out an old favourite. A bottle of wine that really celebrates what America has to offer. A bottle of Kendall Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir. I have had this wine a number of times, so as I carefully extract the cork, I know what awaits me, I know what to expect. A bit like watching the 8 o’clock news really. Déjà-vu? Wrong! Very wrong! I could have chilled it lightly, yet couldn’t wait that long.
The aroma leaping out of the glass was clearly smoky, with strong cherry notes, yet to me, today, for the first time, showing almost savoury hints, reminding me of grilled meat! As I sipped it gently, the nose was confirmed on the palate, with typical cola touches, yet with a roundness, a silky softness that was, to pick an American expression, ‘awesome’! Fine wine always has a surprise in store. It will generously give you a brighter outlook on life. And I am not here referring to the inebriating effect of alcohol. I am talking about the elegant, refined, subtle flavours and rich character of a proper single glass of wine.
As velvet made its way down my throat, the closing news menu was on, repeating all that I had heard before. Yet, it didn’t sound as abrasive as it had earlier; the brutal truth was that, with a bottle of fine wine by my side, I really really didn’t care at all!
Thank you Bacchus!