With Thanksgiving upon us, the rest of the holidays will be here in the blink of an eye. With impending gatherings, holiday meals, celebrations, and gift-giving opportunities, you are going to want a good inventory of “something special” to grab and go. Whether it’s for enjoying with food, or a gift for the host, secret Santa, or a loved one to enjoy later, a major element in your decision making will be the food being served, the theme, or the reason. You might want to select something to complement the holiday dinner, a special bottle for a celebratory toast, or a bottle for a special someone to enjoy later (hopefully with you, right?!).

Once upon a time, in a cozy West Coast home, preparations were underway for a Thanksgiving feast that would capture the essence of the region. The bountiful offerings of the Pacific coast were eagerly anticipated—a unique and delicious celebration. Eventually the family would wander into the house, the son, the daughter, the extended family with aunts, uncles, and cousins. All to be greeted with a myriad of dinner courses, fine conversations, and of course, local wines from California to Washington State to complement the diverse flavors of the meal.

How many things have passed by, and then became new again by some re-inventor that thought “Hey, this was so cool we need to show the world this thing again.”? This happens over and over again, like the swinging of a pendulum. Think about music styles, “retro” fads, and clothing styles. Did any of you ladies ever think that banana purses would come back in style? They look funky cool but really, how do you organize a banana purse? It was extremely frustrating, but you just had to have one.

With the back-to-school season upon us, this is a good time to go back to “wine” school and get down to basics; to go back to the root of your wine enthusiasm. Whether you drink wine for sport or edification, it always enriches the experience to get down to the roots. Going back to basics is always a good exercise, to not only enhance your experience, but to refresh the mind and awaken your palate to new experiences.