Good wine that’s turned bad, or wine that’s just plain terrible to start with, has an interesting virtue. It can help measure your relationship with someone else. Here’s how it happened to me.
A couple who aren’t particularly wine savvy brought a bottle of 1983 Chateau Lafite Rothschild to a dinner with my wife and me. They did however know that a Lafite Rothschild was something special. This winery is one of just five “First Growths,” the highest esteemed, most prestigious wineries in Bordeaux. The 1982 vintage was out of this world spectacular while the ’83s were just average. Average for a First Growth is outstanding and a rare treat.
The wine had turned bad, most likely due to poor storage over the years. There were distressing signs even before opening. The ullage (the space between the bottom of the cork and the top of the wine before opening the bottle) was too large, indicative of a possible leak. And the cork crumbled as it was pulled, often a bad sign. Sure enough, it was vinegar.
So, what do you say? These weren’t close friends as it was the beginning of our relationship. They were embarrassed and I explained this inevitably happens once in a while. Looking for a silver lining, I said that in an odd way, it lends to the excitement of opening a special bottle. Will it be good, great, or maybe not so good? I was diplomatic, we opened a backup bottle, and enjoyed the evening.
Had we been out with close friends my reaction would’ve been quite different. Like, “You knucklehead, you brought us a bad Lafite!!!” We would’ve jokingly complained, pointed fingers at each other, and moved on.
There are obviously varying degrees of friendship which would yield similarly varying criticism. We’ve got some great friends we would jokingly dig on for days thereafter, or even into the next dinner with them. With others, we’ve got to tread lightly. Just a matter of measuring a friendship … a sneaky virtue of bad wine.
Ernest Valtri of Buckingham is a sculptor, painter, graphic designer and a former member of the PLCB’s Wine Advisory Council. Please contact Erno at ObjectDesign@verizon.net.
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