I routinely say, “Only about a third of the value of a wine is the aroma and taste”, and I stand by it. Writing ‘How to Drink Wine’ (out 29th August in all good bookshops!) gave me a great opportunity to hold this statement up and give it proper scrutiny.

Human connection and community make up a good wedge of the two-thirds unaccounted-for ‘value’. Sharing a bottle and taking wine to friends’ houses for lunch, whether they open it then and there (or not!), is an enormously powerful social gesture, and I gain a lot from the joy of choosing the right bottle and the gifting itself. Cooking dinner with my Dad this summer on a too-rare visit with the family to Cornwall was elevated and pinned in our memory by adding a well-judged, special bottle.

The greatest contributor of value in a wine, I think, comes from the ability to travel, both literally and imaginatively, to the diverse regions of the world producing this stuff. Over time, and accrued – happily! – bottle by bottle, this develops in each of us a unique, totally personal appreciation of the natural environment across a range of places on Earth, as well as snapshots of the local culture. What’s more, it often gives us a perspective on an individual within this cultural landscape.

Over many years of drinking wine consciously, I think the sum of these two elements – great social connection and a richer worldview – is the greatest value it has brought to my life.

So, this is a paean to travel and exploration, drinking diversely and building up that rich body of experience. From Dorset to Hokkaido, Breedekloof to the Okanagan, be open to the opportunity!

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