Drink Good Wine on Good Days

One of my favourite people in my life is my Uncle Nigel. I can always rely on him for passing on his pearls of wisdom to me. I have a few favourites, one being: “There are assholes masquerading as decent people everywhere.” I have definitely had some experience in that wheelhouse.

But for the sake of this story, this advice is the focus: "You drink good wine on good days and, bad wine on bad days." Being the owner of the best wine bar in Ojai, California (The Vine) - I took this one very seriously. Also, it makes a whole lot of sense.

After spending the weekend up at Pick Your Poison a few weeks ago with Michelle and Ben, they surprised me with a bottle of wine to say ‘thanks’ for supporting them that day. It was totally unexpected. Michelle even wrote a card – whaaaaat?!

What made this gift even better is that Michelle spent time talking (not harassing I’m sure) people at the LCBO to get a good bottle. She settled on this bottle for the story.

Carmenere is a wine grape that was originally only found in France. It was used to produce a type of deep red wines. Back in the 1800’s a plague killed off this variety of grapes in France and it was thought extinct. However, in the 19th century, a Chilean grower took a cutting of this variety back to Chile mistaking it for Merlot. It wasn’t until the 1990s that this was rediscovered to in fact be Carmenere growing in Chile!

Michelle relayed this story to me, and well, I love a good story. So since this was a special bottle of wine, gifted with thought, intention and love, I decided to save it for a special day.

Drink good wine on good days and, bad wine on bad days.

Friends, today is a good day. I told Michelle I would save this bottle for the day I was told I was allowed to run again. Today is that day. After exactly 10 weeks off, today I laced up my Mizuno Wave Riders and ran. Not long, not far – but I ran.

Then I had a glass of good wine.

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