Ideas Are Like Wine
Age. Decant. Pair. Sip. And Savor.
“Wine is bottled poetry.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
Ideas are the medium of creativity.
They have much in common with wine.
Age. Decant. Pair. Sip. And Savor.
I had the pleasure of attending a vintner’s table lunch this weekend. Five wines were paired with food, including chocolate. Sharing this experience with my wife and friends made for a great day.
But the fun didn’t end there. I was reminded of how wine is meant to be sipped, not chugged. Opinions vary on how to taste wine, but the process used during this lunch had me quivering with delight.
Before tasting:
Decant the wine. (optional)
Pour the wine into a glass.
Swirl vigorously.
Smell by breathing in normally.
Aerating wine is an important step, especially for bolder reds. The resulting oxidation and evaporation allows the wine to “breathe.” This process releases the wine’s aroma and softens tannins.
To taste:
Take a small sip of wine.
Hold it on your tongue and allow it to settle in.
Tap it against the roof of your mouth while breathing in.
Take a bite of food in between sips to fully appreciate how the taste of the wine changes. When paired with the “right” foods, the change in taste can be both surprising and delightful.
If you enjoy wine like I do, you may wonder at pairing chocolate with wine. I generally avoid it. But at this lunch, I found fresh chocolates with soft fillings of fruit, ganache and other bold flavors paired well.
Have you picked up on how this relates to ideas and creativity? It might be a bit of a stretch, but here is my takeaway:
Ideas require time (aging) to fully appreciate.
Decant ideas and give them a vigorous swirl.
Don’t chug ideas. Sip and savor.
Pair ideas with experiences. Enjoy the change in flavor.
Don’t be afraid to experiment with unlikely pairings.
Treat your ideas like a fine red wine.
Life will take on brighter, fruiter notes.
🤔 Food for Thought:
Are you giving ideas time to fully appreciate?
Are you sipping and savoring... instead of chugging?
Are you experimenting with unlikely pairings?
⚙️ One Small Step:
The next time you run across an interesting idea, pause for a moment. Try to eliminate distractions. Sip on the idea. Savor it. Perhaps even pair it with another. What additional insights occur to you?
Great analogy!