Ambiance can make the taste!

I don't care how well-crafted, old, or expensive your wine is... sometimes its the atmosphere of where you are that delivers the real taste!

I'm currently in New Jersey for funeral services of a family member and there isn't much wine drinking happening. The first night we arrived, we took my parent's friends out to dinner. I was so exhausted from the 9 hour drive that I was really looking forward to a big glass of vino. They chose a small Italian restaurant in a strip mall (everything in NJ is in a strip mall). The place might have been OK had there not been "open mic"- the NJ classy way of saying karaoke- led by a wannabe extra of the Sopranos. Man, this guy (and the 2 other "singers") were terrible. So bad, in fact, that no one really enjoyed their meal. And, I really couldn't tell you much about the wine I drank. It tasted fine- an American cabernet, 2005- that our dinner guests brought with them for the dinner. (Many NJ eateries don't have liquor licenses so you bring your own, and they cork it for you)

Case in point Number 2- my sister's college roommate lives in the area and offered to take us out for a drink to get away from the family scene, and to catch up. Being where we were, our only choice was to find a bar using the GPS unit, and we landed at a Bar and Grille. We went into the place- half Applebee's type restaurant, half Sports Bar- complete with waitresses in matching tight black and yellow jerseys, a basketball game on tv, loud club music, and tons of Ocean County Community College students drinking beers. We found a table as far away as we could and noticed an actual wine list! I ordered a house pinot for my sister who likes whites, and I got a Robert Mondavi '06 Cabernet. Which, was a better choice than the Yellowtail Shiraz or other similar reds on the list. And like last time, while the wine seemed fine- my sense of taste was actually distracted by the environment we were in. I couldn't take part in the ritual of drinking wine- the choosing of the wine, opening the bottle, getting to know the wine in first sips, talking about it, and then relaxing with a glass or the bottle. This was a one- sided, drink-it-up-quick-so-we-can-go-soon wine. Uneventful. Disappointing, even. 

Makes me miss home that much more.