Lately, I’ve been just enjoying the wine: Why it’s nice to put down the pen from time to time.

Tonight Kim and I ordered Chinese food; hot and sour soup, steamed dumplings and beef with broccoli. We have four take-out restaurants within 1 square mile, but our favorite is Asian Taste (on 36th St. in Hampden). They have sushi, too, but it’s not always that fresh and a definite pass.

With Chinese food, I generally prefer white wine in the form of either Gewurztraminer or Riesling. Gruner Veltliner from Austria works well, too. Tonight we went with one of our favorite producers of German Riesling; Joh. Jos. Prum. Last weekend we enjoyed a pair of ‘01 Prum Rieslings which were truly outstanding wines, so we had high expectations for this 2002 Graacher Himmelreich Kabinett Riesling.

The bottle was opened, food was passed around. We ate. We drank. Everything was good with the wine again being top notch. But other than telling you that there was an interesting dill component and it’s at least a 90 point wine in my book…I didn’t take notes and don’t intend on saying much else.

For those of you who know me well, you are aware this is out of character. I am of course referring to the fact that I have multiple wine notebooks and journals (such as the one I’m with above at Pardiso di Frassina in Montalcino!). I am never without my trusty point-and-shoot digital camera, always prepared to snap pictures of wine bottles. Per my request, Kim always has a pen and paper in her purse so that I am prepared to take detailed notes on how a wine looks, smells, and tasteds as well as other miscellaneous notes on the experience the wine provides, at the drop of a hat (or pop of a cork). Even at a nice dinner or special evening out, I can be caught scribbling notes on a napkin or typing notes into my phone. Obsessive? Yes, I’ve become quite obsessive- but it’s part of the fun of drinking and collecting wine for me.

But lately I’ve just been enjoying the wines. No notepad, no pen, no interrupting a nice dinner to contemplate the multiple compenents of a wine and how it pairs with each flavor in the food. And you know what, it’s pretty nice.

It makes me remember when I was first getting into wines and just drinking everything I could get my hands on to learn more about my new hobby. I wasn’t interested in remembering what wines brought leather, plum, was racy or finished with a touch of heat. I just wanted to know whether or not the wine was something I liked so I could buy it again in the future.

A few months back I wrote a piece titled “Ignorance is bliss…” in which one of the points I tried to make was that perhaps wine is more enjoyable before you know too much or drink the “best” wines in the world. Sure it’s nice to be able to appreciate great wines on a multitude of levels, but is it really necessary? I mean, isn’t the point of drinking wine to enhance a meal and bring friends and family together?

My hiatus from formal note taking is most likely just a phase (how would I continue being an amateur wine critic otherwise!). Perhaps after a weekend away in the woods of Virginia I’ll come back and return to my diligent note-taking self. But until I feel the need to return to my rigours bookkeeping I’m going to just be “ignorant” and enjoy some wine with my friends and family. After all, these are truly the most important things in life.

Cheers!