Last night, I went on a date that started off well. We met at a beautiful Brooklyn bar and ordered a great cheese plate and two drinks. But when my wine arrived, you guys, it was…natural.
Of course, I realize that natural wine is cool these days. New York Magazine calls it “a wine-list must-have.” Bon Appetit describes natural-wine culture as “fun, unfussy, and a little tipsy.” A New York Times writer announced, “Natural wine is my self-care.”
So, what am I missing??? I want to be cool! The wine is just so sour. Last night, my drink tasted like my kids had hosted a lemonade stand, then left the container in the fridge for a few weeks, until I took an unsuspecting sip. To be fair, the flavor grew on me throughout the evening, but not as much as the uncool regular old wine that I’ve loved for my entire adult life, is that too much to ask?
One person who does understand is my dad. When he visited last Thanksgiving, I poured him a glass of a natural wine that a guest had brought. “Try this,” I told him, curious what he’d think. His immediate reaction? He spat it into the sink, and instead of saying, “Hmmm, not for me,” or “I suppose I prefer others,” he looked at me with panicked eyes and asked, “WHY WOULD THEY MAKE THAT.”
Jake Cornell’s reels about natural wine always make me laugh.
So! Just for fun on this sweltering Wednesday, tell me: What’s something popular you just don’t get? Mustaches? Sharing food? Love Actually? (And to be clear, I really loved this bar and my date himself was extremely cute!)
P.S. Other controversies: Putting ice in wine and not saying goodbye at parties.
(Top photo by Lucas Ottone/Stocksy.)
