In 1985, if any of you can remember that far back, I co-hosted a forum on The WELL, an early on-line community founded by Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant. I used a Kaypro computer with a 1200 baud modem and the messaging was far from instant. It was, however, exciting to be at the forefront of things to come although at the time no one realized the dominance the computer would have over our lives.
Now, 25 years later, I can sit with my laptop in virtually any place on Earth and communicate instantly with anyone who wants to listen. My daughter moved to Bangkok earlier this week to study at Rangsit University and we communicate through Skype. Being able to see her and talk to her in real time makes the distance seem so much less and although I wouldn’t want it any other way, it has eroded the adventure of travel. 25 years ago I would unhesitatingly depart on 3-month photographic assignments to remote areas completely out of contact with the rest of the world. I shot film and had no idea if I had the shots until I returned home. I accepted this as being the life of an editorial photographer. Digital photography now allows me to know within seconds if I have the shot. It has taken away all the risk and even if I can sleep better at night there is no longer the edge that can inspire creativity.
In three weeks I leave for Myanmar (Burma) where even basic telephone communication is problematic and I feel uneasy at being out of touch for two weeks. Once again I feel the apprehension that I felt as a student hitch hiking to the French Alps to climb Mont Blanc. This is travel at it should be. Meaningful and memorable with surprise and serendipity. I can’t wait to get on the road. The decade is off to a good start.
On New Year’s Eve a friend shared with me a bottle of 1975 Chateau Petrus. This should have been a sublime start to the year. The last time I tasted Petrus was in Hawaii with Mark de Vere who was Master of Wine at Robert Mondavi. The wine in Hawaii was everything we expected it to be, it was still young and it was a luscious bottle of ripe fruit with a depth and complexity not normally associated with Merlot. I was expecting all that and more from the 1975 vintage and with prices at $2000 and up for a bottle my expectations were unrealistically high. The wine was undeniably good with minimal oxidization but $2000 good? I didn’t think so. I was disappointed.
On Christmas Day I had opened a 1967 Chateau Gloria, a wine that has been in my cellar for several years and I have avoided opening it because of the expected disappointment. 1967 wasn’t a particularly good year and the wine was way past its sell by date. The level of the wine was down to the shoulder of the bottle and it had the distinctive brown tinge of an old red wine. I was prepared to pour it down the sink but it turned out to be very drinkable. All the fruit had disappeared but the structure remained. It was not great but neither was it a disappointment.
So many factors enter into wine appreciation; expectations, who it is shared with, state of mind. Admittedly some of my most memorable quaffing has involved great wines such as a Chambolle-Musigny grand cru, Bonnes Mares poured at IPNC last year but many far more humble wines have left equally lingering memories.
Travel is the same. Sure, a week at The Four Seasons Resort at Sayan in Bali is memorable but no more so than a night at an undiscovered inn in the Scottish Highlands. This blog is about food, wine and travel by an opinionated blogger. Stay tuned.
