Tasting new wines last night and I had expectations that I found hard to shed, on a Petite Sirah. I forced myself to sip and pretend I didn’t know what it was at all. I had to convince myself of this, and it worked. I saw more in the PS, and was educated in the varietal. I feel that too often we are locked into our perceptions and set understandings when it comes to varietals. It tasted better, actually, with this mind I assumed, and I felt more of what the wine was trying to say. I felt closer to the wine, the act of sipping it.

Try it!