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August 18 is a very important day. It is international Pinot Noir day.
I found out about this important factoid in an email I received from Alma Rosa Winery in the Santa Barbara region. Alma Rosa - no surprise here - is known for vinting up some exceptional Pinot Noir.
My discovery of this significant occasion raises several questions.
What does one do to celebrate Pinot Noir Day?
Who gets to decide that a certain day should be named something special?
If Pinot Noir has its own day, does that make Sauvingnon Blanc feel kind of neglected.
Do fried green tomatoes have their own day?
OK, let’s tackle those questions one by one. First, what should you do to celebrate International Pinot Noir Day? Even without consulting the experts, it's safe to assume that drinking Pinot Noir is the preferred method of recognition.
Second question: Who names days? From what I can tell, just about anyone... who thinks they can make it stick. As for who declared International Pinot Noir Day? Don’t know don’t care. Final answer.
Third question: Is Sauvignon Blanc sad about all this Pinot Day attention? Thankfully, there’s no need for hurt feelings. Sauvignon Blanc does have its own day. May 6. Somewhat unfortunate, as the previous day is Cinco de Mayo (a.k.a. Drinko de Maya). Unless Sauvignon Blanc has the ability to cure a tequila hangover, I doubt it gets much attention on its special day.
Question four: Do fried green tomatoes have their own day? Um, surprise, they do. I tried to pick something so far afield that it obviously wouldn't have it's own day. I was trying to be silly. Apparently, people more silly than me decided that fried green tomatoes deserve elevated attention once every 365 days. It was declared by the Montclair Public Library of New Jersey, so it might not be ready for the "international" designation yet.
While researching this topic, I learned there are at least 36 days dedicated to wine, not only specific varietals, but also wine in general. Presumably, these days are intended to give us an excuse to drink wine. Because we need a reason. The most comprehensive-sounding of these days is National Wine Day on May 25. For those of you who can’t figure out what to do on National Wine Day, there’s the much more assertively named National Drink Wine Day on February 18. Obviously declared by someone who did not know exactly what to do on the more ambiguously named National Wine Day.
Here is a list of 2018 wine days for specific varietals (many are set on the day of the week, like the "third Thursday," so the dates change year-to-year):
Yes, I will be celebrating International Pinot Noir Day in the appropriate way. But to be honest, it’s a chore to keep track of all these specific wine-related dates. So I’m proposing that we we simply declare the times we living in as "The Wine Century." It just needs enough popular support to become a real thing. I’ll start working on it right away. Maybe the people at the Montclair Library can help.
~ Kay Syrah
Wine Country Guru Gal
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