Wine Lit Crit

Last night, enjoying a relatively nice bottle of dry Pfalz riesling, I decided to watch some of the movies I got from the Chicago Public Library. Well, just one. Sitting in one of my grandparents' orange chairs, which may be my prized possessions, slightly dissappointed by the 2006 vintage in lots of German wines I've tasted lately (Damn global warming.), I watched the recent film version of The History Boys. I read the play and read all of the glowing press about the London and New York runs, and was fantastically excited that the original cast would be starring in a film version. Although they cut some of the soliloquys/monologues, the film was one of the most moving pieces I've seen in years. I'm sure it I would have been bawling if I'd seen it on stage. Immaculately written, perfectly acted, I wish plays/films like this would come around more often. The concept of the play/film is heavily intellectual--knowledge and its uses are at the center of the conflict. Yet emotional and sexual tension keeps the play/film afloat. I could go on and on and on about this, but I'll stop. I just wanted to touch on the wonderful combination of intellectual pleasure and sensual pleasure in wine.

I am one of those people that needs both. Yes, I can totally get into sensual wines--they are pleasing to drink! Some wines are entirely intellectual, esoteric, site specific, but not yummy. The immaculate combination of both sends me to my good place. Great riesling--austere, mineral, and dry, was what I was craving. I was looking for a great dry Mosel, but couldn't find any at a reasonable price, and the Pfalz I bough was nice, really balanced, but not what I wanted. It didn't quite deliver on the intellectual level. But the movie did. That's funny, because usually my wine delivers and my movies don't. That's why I drink lots of wine and watch very few movies.