It is a curious yet widely unremarked-upon thing that the world of wine is considered to exist entirely in the physical spaces where vines grow, fruit is harvested and wine is vatted and bottled. The notion that wine is inextricably linked with tangible terrain is reinforced by atlases that plot areas of wine activity on conventional geographical maps and by reference books and study guides that link terrain and wine character. Arcane legislation prescribes the spatial reach of each designated region and sub-region, giving this ground-hugging way of thinking about wine the force of law.
If, as it is thought, the best wines are those that exhibit a sense of place, then shouldn’t this also hold for the most important place of all: the one inside our heads? In my forthcoming book, Imagined Appellations, I expand on the notion that some of the most important and prolific wine regions are ones we just, you know, make up.
My imaginary book gives extended coverage to several key imagined designations, making a deep dive into the Côtes de Kitsch, Les Monts sur Beach Tipple, and the too-pricey-for-the-likes of-you vineyards of Saint-Beaucoup Benjamins.
I must admit, however, that no imaginary appellation gives me more personal pleasure than that of the Gulp Coast, a narrow slice of notional territory east of the hippocampus descending nearly to the amygdala (you can see it, above, if you squint a bit). Here, the rules allow almost any varietal, with the stipulation that the alcohol be moderate, the texture tender, the juicy bits front and center. The best examples are easily identified because the bottles tend to empty before you know it and leave you feeling as if you’ve hardly had a drop.
I imagine I’ll have another.
-Stephen Meuse
Taste, talk and learn about wine this week in the FKC wine corner . . .
THURSDAY, MAY 2 3-6 PM – EAST OF THE HIPPOCAMPUS
2018 Vignerons d’Estezargues Côtes du Rhone Blanc “Ephèmère,” $17.95
2018 Bodegas Ostatu, Rioja Rosato, $15.95
2018 Vignerons d’Estezargues Côtes du Rhone “Domaine des Fées, $17.95
FRIDAY, May 3 3-6 PM – GULPABLE NEGLIGENCE
2017 Domaine de l’Ocre “La Perle Noir,” Extra Brut $26.95
2015 Domaine de l’Ocre Rouge “De Natura Vini,” $18.95
2016 Domaine du Pech, Buzet “Jarnicoton,” $26.95