Wine Doesn't Fix Everything

This week was probably the most trying week I have had in the last year at work.

I have been working for the last 18 years in the safety industry. I'm currently in an amazing role and doing what would be my second choice as a career. Wine being the first.  During these last 18 years, there have been both good times and bad times. I have been through a number of company re-organizations and come out unscathed.  As everyone knows that the world economy is on the edge of a knife. One slip either way and you could end up slashed and fall into a ramekin of salt.

I was fortunate enough, this go round, to keep my position and have a manager that I actually can trust to keep me in the loop as much as he can. However, one of my colleagues was not so lucky. Not because of his abilities, but simply about numbers. That in itself is enough to make your nerves go into overdrive.

Unfortunately, another friend and colleague at work was also let go. For some reason this one hit me harder than the one in my department. Maybe because she is a friend and not 20 minutes before she was called into the conference room, I told her what my manager told me. "She is with a growing department and if she keep things up, she should be ok."

Now that makes me feel great. Relaying the information that I was just told to my friend from a manger. (Yes I still trust him, as he admitted to me that he didn't have the full picture.)

Here is the reality about the whole thing. No-one in the world knows what is going to happen over the next few months and there isn't anything that anyone can do about it.

I'm not going to go into the whole Occupy protests and my opinion on that, but maybe they do have a point even if they are going about it in the completely wrong approach.

So how did or do I cope with the situation? I made the statement on Twitter that "Lay-offs SUCK" and the overwhelming response was to drink some wine!

That was my initial response as well. And boy did I, but here is what I learned about the situation.
I wasn't drinking the wine to get totally wasted, or even to get a buzz on. The reason I was drinking wine was for an escape. The feeling of drinking a good glass of wine brought me back into a place where I could reflect on the things that really matter to me. I allowed me to take a few minutes to look at exactly what I have. I have a family that is amazing, a home that is better than I ever imagined, and the opportunity to be able to sit and reflect.

It took me 48 hours for that to really sink in. Did I have too much to drink? No. Was I planning on drinking a lot more? No doubt.

What I have come to the conclusion to in a situation like that is, you need to take a step back, try to put your emotions in check, and look at the situation. Sometimes it may take a catalyst for you to do that, but do it. It seemed to have worked for me.

I'm looking forward to going back to work on Monday and being back on my game after a couple of really hard days.

So please, enjoy a glass and take the time to reflect on what that glass of wine really means to YOU and what it can actually do to help.
Matt

Penny Black's Little Brother

So I had to go and renew the license plates on our car yesterday and was amazed that there was NO LINE! Unheard of!!!! So that meant that I had about a half an hour of free time.
What to do, what to do....

Go to the LCBO! (Liquor store for those outside of Ontario)

So I made my way home and did some of the chores that you have to do when you get home. Those chores involved putting on some shorts as it was 26 degrees C yesterday, finding the corkscrew, grabbing a wine glass, putting on some music and pouring a glass.

One thing that I have noticed with all the Post House wines is they all initially look and smell corked. The cork is soft, and heavily stained which always worries me.

Not thinking much of it, I head out to the front porch and start to enjoy.

My response to this one is WOW!

This is a blend of 32% Shiraz 32% Pinotage 18% Cabernet Sauvignon and 18%Merlot.

 I completely get why they call it Bluish Black. I looks like a cross between blueberry juice and squid ink. It has a big nose and wonderful palate. A nose of mulberries, red currant and almost over ripe strawberries, but not in a bad way. Also has lots of allspice and black pepper. The palate is almost identical to the nose with a bit more pepper on it. It is full bodied, rich wine with supple soft tannins for easy drinking especially at 14.5%

This one is well worth seeking out at $14.95!

Enjoy a glass.
Matt

My Favourite Movies with Wine in Them

One of my favourite actors from long before she was on Grey's Anatomy, is Sandra Oh. A fantastic Canadian actor that I first saw in the play "Inquest" at the Factory Theatre in Toronto. From that point on I was a big fan. She has gone on to a lot of great things including and if you are a wine drinker and a bit of a movie fan you have probably seen it.

Sideways

No doubt a great movie, including many other great actors, but more importantly a focus on wine.

I want to give you my top 5 movies or scenes that have wine in them that I love to see over and over again.

#5

The Princess Bride.

Probably a movie that you have all seen and love. I know my kids do.

 

#4

Silence of the Lambs

An amazing thriller scene.

#3

Roman Holiday

The first time drunk for the Princess and Joe Bradley has a glass of wine.

 

#2

Band of Brothers - Day of Days - Day of Firsts.

This is actually an HBO Mini-series

 The night of D-Day June 6, 1944.

#1

Casablanca

One of the best movies of all time and flush with Champagne

What are some of your favourite movies that have wine in them?

Please comment and let me know.

Enjoy a glass.

Matt

Music and Wine

So over the last few weeks I have been informally (in no scientific way at all) asking people, when the are drinking a glass of wine, what music do they have on in the background?

Some of the responses have been from the expected to the OMG really?

What I did learn is that the music and the wine often went together.

Here are a couple of examples:

• Lighter white wines generally went with bubbly happy music. One of my coleagues drinks Pinot Grigio and she said that she like to listen to music like Top 40 and yes I'm going to say it Katie Perry. (more on her later)
• Another coleague said he basically lives off of big bold reds like Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvginion and listens to Classic Rock and heavy bass dubstep.
• One of my tweeps also likes lighter reds drinks it with nastalogic 80's and 90's brit-pop.

Some of what you were probaly thinking about also held true. A nice warm red while listening to Jazz and blues, while a good white could go with fun happy music. Miles Davis and Meaghan Smith are some great examples of both old and new.

Here are some of my favourite tunes to go with wine that I would be drinking.
I hope you enjoy them.

What about you? What do you like to listen to when you are drinking your favourite glass of wine? Please share with me.

Enjoy a glass.
Matt

This is my fun red wine song.

Kimbra - Cameo Lover

My drinking white wine with friends song.

REM - Shiny Happy People

My big red wine song.

Radiohead - High and Dry

My I need some alone time with a glass of wine song.

Eagles - Desperado

Finally my sparkling wine song.

Yes I do like the song.

Kaite Perry - Last Friday Night

I need to include an honorable mention in here. This is an awesome duo that I always come back to ever since I first heard them online.

Pomplamoose doing La Vie en Rose by Edith Piaf.
Love it. 

Two Months and Not Enough Time

Wow. Can't believe that I've only been blogging for two months and have had an amazing response to both my blog and Twitter comments.

So who is the Matt the Wing Guy? Why am I doing this? What do I gain out of it? Why would you want to read about what I have to say?

All really good questions.

In two months I have gone from a guy who posted his first blog on the internets (according to Al Gore) who wanted to share his thoughts about wine with the world to more that 1,200 hits. To share them not necessarily the wine world, but regular people who enjoy wine. I know what you are thinking, I got an extra day because of the leap year, but I'll take it.

I have attended my first official wine event as a blogger, set up as many as 3 formal tastings, and registered for at least one more wine event. Interviewed national TV hosts, and lined up other people to interview from major TV shows, Heads of wine groups, and musicians in both the classical music world and main stream music. (Keep an eye out for those in the future!)

So I'm not going to answer those questions I asked earlier. I also like to make people do some work (yes I'm lazy - or at least efficient).

As for who I am, I was going to say that I used to be one of those people who just like wine, but I'm wrong. I AM ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE! I like my wine and really don't like to have all the wine "talk" shoved down my throat.

I like to try new wines and explore the world of wine, but you have to be cautious. There are a lot of reviews out there that are bad at reviewing wines. I'm not saying that I'm a terrific reviewer, but does that really matter? Not at all the real reviewer is you!

So as for time, time is one of the few constants in the world. It can go by fast at times and be deathly slow at others.

One thing that I would love if you could do the next time you have a glass of wine is to make sure that you make the time go a little slower. Enjoy the wine you are drinking, what ever it is.

Try to have the wine express its emotions with you and you with it. I know that sounds corny, but take a minute, take a deep breath and enjoy a glass.

Thanks for reading and I hope you read on.
Matt