Oh, the places you’ll go

One of the greatest things about wine is the many journeys it can take you on.  Of course, the best journey is the one when you travel to the vineyard laden slopes of some far-off wine producing region where you sip the latest vintage while sitting on a terrace and watching the sun set over the gently rolling hills that stretch to the horizon. 
 
Another great wine journey is the one you can take from one wine to the next – from one you already love to another soon to be favorite you might not be aware of yet. For example, if you love the soft, silky elegance of a Pinot Noir from Burgundy you should give Gamay a try. Gamay is the grape used to make Beaujolais, which is known for being brash, with bright fruit and meant to be drunk young. But Gamay can also make a more mature, fine wine as well, with characteristics like Pinot Noir – light bodied with medium acidity, low tannins, and earthy fruits. If Pinot Noir is a four-star resort that’s right on the beach with a choice of gourmet restaurants, Gamay is a nice Airbnb where you might have to cook your own meal and walk to the beach. It’s not the same, but you’re still going to love it (and not spend nearly as much). 
 
This Saturday we’ll taking a wine journey from the comfort of our tasting table. We’ll start in our own backyard, with a Washington State made red wine that will transport us to the Rhone Valley. We’ll then travel to the terraced vineyards of Priorat in Spain for a wine full of rich, spicy, berry flavors. From there, we’ll head across the Mediterranean to Tuscany where we’ll sample a ruby red wine that has a velvety nose and crisp red fruit with hints of spice. And finally, that spice will lead us thousands of miles south, across oceans where we’ll finish with a little grape thought to have gone extinct only to reemerge in the costal hills of Chile's Colchagua Valley. 
 
To paraphrase Dr. Suess, use the brain in your head and the feet in your shoes to steer yourself down to Story in a Bottle Wines.