by Gal Zohar, http://myhaidu.wordpress.com
Last night I cracked. After 6 long years of resistance it all fell apart. Or, like the King would put it, “6 years down the drain”. I watched Sideways last night.
These were six difficult years. As a sommelier, pretty much every conversation started or ended with questions about fucking Merlot. At first I didn’t get it, then I learned to nod and smile. But it just wouldn’t stop. Then it finally hit me. Sure it’s very nice to know all of Bourgogne’s Grand Crus or even to differentiate Asili from the Montestefano vineyards in Barbaresco, but if you can’t recite Miles’ words of wisdom you ain’t got what it takes. I lived in a lie and learned to fake, my career was now safe, I was about to make it.
It all changed a few days ago. I was caught off guard, revealed the lie and promised to change. I was conscious, I knew what I was doing and can’t blame anyone but myself. Two nights of fierce self debate and then —> PLAY.
One scene made up for the average rest. Towards the end of the movie and almost tired from life Miles does one thing I have always wanted to do. He takes his precious Cheval Blanc 61 to a local diner, pours it into a plastic cup and sip it graciously. His food matching is as good: an oily burger with some fine onion rings. The supreme anti-wine geek move.
Miles, I salute you and apologize for ignoring you all these years.
Gal is a former sommelier, ex-editor of Bibendum Times and now the social media guru behind the Haidu.net. Based in Tel Aviv, you can read this post and all his other work at the Haidu blog or follow him on Twitter @zoharwine
Tags: film, food and wine, gal zohar, Haidu, sommeliers