The world is full of “experts.” We need experts and generally cherish expertise. Yet, many carry on a love-hate relationship with these pundits or “know-it-alls.” This certainly rings true in the world of wine. Those who use their wine knowledge as weapons of intimidation to aim at their guests and tools to vanquish the uninformed masses with their polished verbal “tasers” or poetic “stun guns” miss the boat entirely in terms of sharing & harnessing wine’s creativity, power and abundance.

Thus, The (or, My) Spot On life exists to empower you, not to intimidate or impress you. The realization that we are all “experts” in something is one of my fundamental life hypotheses. Most of us realize that the only thing that is certain about our life is that our life itself is uncertain. Thus, we likely approach the wine world with a similar disposition, angst, or even trepidation, i.e., we will never “get it.”

Relish this thought for a moment by asking oneself the question, “Am I a “wine expert?” The answer is, without a shadow of doubt in my own mind, yes, you are. You just don’t know it yet. You simply do not realize the truth of this reality about the wine world which resides in you.

New knowledge of the magical grape juice abounds these days. Yet, true experts in oenology and viticulture possess a powerfully held, deep humility, a sense of gratitude, and even an awe towards the fruits of their labor, sweat, toil and tears. This is one finest rays of light emanating from the beautiful spectrum of the life world of vitis vinifera. This is a colorful world radiating outwards towards us with beauty and majesty

In an interview with Angela Evans of TulsaFoods.com, Michael Keenan, the director of California’s Robert Keenan Winery discusses his 100% solar powered, sustainably farmed operation in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley. In the interview, Keenan shares his intimate connection with the health & well-being of the winery’s land resources. He elucidates his desire to enhance the land year after year of harvest, making it even better than the year before. This is how he defines “sustainability.”

His concept of having no “winemaker” in his employ and his idea of “managing the grapes” rather than laying claim to being the “expert producer” reflects this humility towards the terroir and its abundant fruits. “There is something magical about wine” is a central theme in many of his verbal musings.

“Wine lifts one’s spirits,” and  “the vines are sentient beings,” he adds. I agree with Michael Keenan wholeheartedly. So, whose wine is it anyway? It is ours, all of ours, each and every one of us, no matter what or where our station or our calling is in life. Wine is one of the cosmic equalizers, a magical unifier, and one of the greatest potential democratizers of all time. Wine levels the playing field of life. Your eyes will be opened to this reality, sooner rather than later.