Many of you ask me for stories of how and/or where wine is discovered around the world – I though it best to show you instead of just reading about it.
For most in the trade, the preferred method of discovering wine is a traditional one: go to the winery, taste the wine from a single barrel sample and make a decision (or go to a wine fair, taste the wine once and make a decision) - I prefer to go to the people of the underground – to the streets...to sit with the wine among those that have something to say - to hear their reaction and to converse over a glass for an extended period (not just one sip and spit into the rocks of a cellar floor – you CANNOT deduce a wine’s complete prowess with this method and it does every wine a disservice).
Watch this video - this is how it happens, on the street in its rawest form (literally). This is a clip I filmed a few days ago from a wine venue in a new, somewhat rough area of Paris that is setting the bar very high. Check out the barrels of 2008 vintage wines (and others) with a self-serve spigot...unsanctioned by the authorities and without any stabilizers (that would go over very well in the US). The proprietor was not very happy with the idea of a film showing his untaxed bulk “barrels” (fresh from each winery) so I had to sneak the camera around for 30 seconds or so just to show you what it’s like in a venue such as this (thus the raw footage).
Is artistry and the inspiration of youth dead? I don’t think so.
- Jon Rimmerman