The Anxious Beginner’s Guide to Wine
Giving Wine is the Best Kind of Adulting
Some wines have legs, some have wings
I didn’t give wine until I was given wine. It was my joy at receiving wine that made me realize that wine is the best kind of gift. Wine goes with any outfit, doesn’t need any dressing up, and can be tailored to any occasion.
Wine is a fabulous choice for celebrations of any kind. It makes an excellent host gift. Labels are often gorgeous, the art of intention. A well-executed “I saw this and thought of you” is thoughtfulness embodied.
Wine is a storyteller’s dream.
The gift of wine
Giving wine allows us the opportunity to share both the experience of drinking wine and the story behind our gifting it.
Choosing wine for the label to match the person or occasion was something I did early on. This early giving was fun because the people receiving the wine were tickled to be thought of, but they were most grateful to be thought about in the choosing of their gift.
Once I had dabbled and found the wines that I loved, I began giving bottles I knew were delicious. I loved telling recipients that I was sure they would like this bottle, say, because I knew they loved roast pork or Texas BBQ and it would be a great pairing.
Finally, I began buying wine when I traveled. These wines are sacred to me and a meaningful gift because I met the very soil that grew the grapes, tasted the liquid beneath the same sun that was feeding the vines, and then I carried it back to put in their hands because it was oh so good.
A gift of wine
The first time I was gifted wine, I was given a bottle that felt so special to me that I packed it in my suitcase to drink in Maui.
My partner and I were fulfilling a dream of mine. I had dreamed of going to Hawaii since I was a little girl watching “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and “Elvis’ Blue Hawaii”.
My precious bottle made it safely. It lived in my suitcase most of the trip, enjoying the cool nights and tropical days of Maui inside our ocean breezy homestay until I was ready to open it.
A week to remember
We did Maui well. We drove the road to Hana, we read books by the ocean, and I soaked up the sun. We stopped by the roadside and bought a large, fresh coconut, which I happily sipped through a straw.
We hiked a tiny forest in sandals and saw waterfalls. It rained a few days, but not on our parade. We drank Mai Tais and ate coconut shrimp, went to a luau, took a submarine ride to see sunken pirate ships, and stayed far away from a sleeping seal sporting a sweet, puppy-dog face.
The hottest night in Maui
On the last night, I was tired. I was and am an anxious traveler. I had been discovering. I was in a new place with a new love. That night, we bought frozen pizzas from a local market and decided to stay in. I would open my gift.
As we turned on the oven in our homestay, the ocean breeze slowed to stillness. The heat of the day didn’t leave us.
Without air conditioning, the oven cooked the pizzas and us, too. We were pushed out of the thick, aromatic air and onto the patio, where we ate our pizza and drank our wine slightly warmer than we had intended.
When pizza was finished, we poured the dregs out of the bottle and returned to our hot space. We turned on the TV and watched “Lilo & Stitch” to the accompanying symphony of Hawaiian waves.
The gift of a story
Whether it is the gift of its making, of its finding, or of its drinking, giving wine is divine. It is for adults. I will forever be grateful for becoming a part of the story of this bottle.
Wine is born in a place. Its story began as earth and water and sun before it was sifted through the roughness of farmers’ hands. Crushed and aged in oak or steel, it was encased in glass and then someone gifted it to me to finish. This person may have known I would love the flavor of the living liquid in this bottle, but could they have guessed I would love its story more?
Gifts of wine connect to the cycle of our very lives. When we give, we give the opportunity to be a part of and create memories. When we receive, we continue, finish, and begin stories one bottle at a time.
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A Few More Articles for the Anxious Reader
On Comfort Food: Every Season Vegetable Shakshuka
On Wine: Julia Child taught me to drink more wine
On Planning Your Next Getaway: 9 Anxiety-Friendly Amenities of All-Inclusive Travel
On Learning to Let Go: Six Mental Health Benefits of Learning to Play
On Body Image: Summer Body, Part 1
On Coming Out: My Bi Life, Part 1
