It’s the Little Things that Count

They say that it’s the little things that count.

I’d tend to agree.  Sure, they also say that life is measured by the moments that take your breath away.  That sounds great, but in reality, how often do you have your breath taken away by something?  Speaking for myself, I can honestly say that while I’m very satisfied in my life, it doesn’t happen all that often.

So what keeps it exciting?  Well, that’s where the little things come into play.  In our everyday lives, we don’t have monumental things happening all the time.  What makes life worth living, and what keeps it exciting and fun all the time, are the little things.

These days, I’ve come to appreciate the little things a lot more.  Seeing beauty in something simple, giving or receiving a small act of kindness or thoughtfulness, and taking a moment to appreciate something that would otherwise go unnoticed are what I find most important.  If that didn’t happen, life would get pretty boring - at least I think so.

So how does this apply to wine?  Well, when you first start enjoying wine, you might go for big wines with big characteristics that deliver seemingly a thousandfold.  It’s just a huge wine that bursts with aroma and flavor and has a rich texture that satisfies your palate.  Bigger is better.  They do say that too, don’t they?

Think of it this way - perhaps bigger isn’t always better.  In fact, often, bigger really isn’t better.

Drink too much “big wine” and your nose and palate will only recognize and appreciate the big aroma and flavor.  Or you could try enjoying some of the lighter style wines that show elegance and finesse - and when the wine isn’t overpowering, we can detect and appreciate the little things - subtleties that we’d never find with a big wine, because the ripeness and largeness of it fail to allow the hints and soft characteristics to come through.  If we take our time and enjoy and sense the slight notes and characteristics, such as expression of earth and soil type, and perhaps other fruit notes, floral notes, herbs, and spices, we can feel the wine speaking to us.  We get to hear the whole story, instead of just one huge part of it, which tends to distract us from the little things.  Don’t overlook and underestimate the lovely little things - they have a way of telling us so much more, if we only allow them to.  When a friend is recounting their day, not every part of the story will be some big juicy news - most of it will be the little things.  The same goes for wine - let it tell you the story with the fine little details, and not just some blast of a single characteristic that overshadows everything else.