Wine is poetry in a bottle.
The word, the lines of each poem
Escape the mouths of those who sip
And need to tell you
About bouquet, aroma,
Fruit, nuts, or the hint of the
Spice from the aged wooden barrel.
If you don't get wine, it seems strange
That that’s all detectable to a palette.
It’s like, if you don't get sports,
Listening to someone explain
The theories of pitcher versus batter,
Four downs and 10 yards,
Or offside on the pitch or the ice.
I don’t get wine, but I understand
The subtleties of flavor
The breathing, timing, and swirling.
I could show you the same things
On a baseball diamond as
The players perform the
Graceful ballet of infield practice.
Photo credit: NARA & DVIDS Public Domain Archive