The dictionary defines the word “gift” as something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation. All gifts are personal matters that relate to who is the giver and who is the receiver. Certain gifts are geared to special events, such as birthdays, holidays, invitations, all of which will delineate what kind of a gift should be considered. Where I live, in a wine-producing country such as Switzerland, giving a bottle of wine is as natural as offering flowers. It is very common—almost expected—that when invited for dinner, a bottle of wine is offered, not necessarily to drink at that moment but to add to the host’s wine cellar. Why? Because I live in a culture in which drinking wine is an everyday part of local habits and tradition. Because here, as in many other places, wine is in itself considered a gift of pleasure that the locals know will be a source of pleasure. You would think that normal, but in fact giving wine is not easily the standard in other parts of the world where wine is taken less seriously. That should change.
Think about this: What you do when you offer a bottle of wine to a friend, or simply as an offering of friendship, is affirming the giver’s and the receiver’s sensual appreciation. When I receive a bottle of wine that I don’t know or have not tasted before, I become party to a new experience of the senses that I would have had before. It’s all about sharing with someone a pleasure you have had that you want to impart on others. That is a real gift. And consider what Ernest Hemingway wrote in A Moveable Feast, recounting his Paris years in the 1920s: “In Europe, we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine was not snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary.” How right. While thinking of wine giving, I am also reminded of Ambrose Bierce’s funny definition in his The Devil’s Dictionary: “WINE, n. Fermented grape-juice known to the Women’s Christian Union as “liquor,” sometimes as “rum.” Wine, Madam, is God’s next best gift to man.” To share that gift with others is in itself the gift you can extend to friends and colleagues in the spirit of sharing. I am also reminded of an art collector I know who has a fabulous stock of works in his apartment. When I asked him if he lent his works to exhibitions, he did not hesitate a moment in telling me that when he received a viable request, he lent whatever he could. I asked why, and he replied that since his works are never seen outside his apartment, he wanted to share the beauty of these paintings with others. Very laudable. Isn’t that what it is all about—being in a position to share a certain beauty with others who will appreciate it? That is why when I come across a special wine, I give it as a gift to close friends who probably would not have tried it otherwise. Nearby my home, there is a wine company that has as its slogan: “Partage le plaisir” (“Share the Pleasure”). Do it, and feel the satisfaction of having contributed to the sensual pleasure of others.
