In the last few weeks I have had several wine tastings with my friends. It has made me realize how important wine has been in my life. Almost every one of my friends, became my friends, do to our mutual interest in wine. These friends come from many different backgrounds. If not for our interest in wine, our paths might never have crossed. That would have been sad.

As many of you know I have a Pinot Noir club. We started in 2001. The plan was to have a group gather and discuss wine. We would try to form a lexicon on wine. This way we would know what each other was saying, when we described what we tasted. Well, eight years later we still don’t know what the other guy is talking about. But you know, it does not matter. What has happened is a bunch of guys have become good friends. These friends get together monthly; we laugh and tease each other unmercifully. Most of the time is spent talking about things other than wine.

When I think about it, I would not want it any other way.