The Silvery Effect of the Moon

Our choices of food and wine are often subliminally or overtly dictated by our surroundings, companions, even the temperature of the air. We simply take this for granted—but how much more pleasurable it is to consciously celebrate a pairing of wine and experience, to choose wine for a special moment with the same exactitude given to pairing wines with food. Wine can be paired with a moment, an experience, one’s surroundings, and even the weather.

For instance, I think a picnic at the beach requires a light, fruity white or a spicy pinot noir. If I have packed a picnic to enjoy at the beach, you’d better believe the weather is warm and sultry. The food will be light and plain—French bread, Brie, grapes, and crab or prawns. Ocean breezes blowing against my face leave a salty residue on my lips. A deep red wine or an oaky chardonnay just wouldn’t taste right. This moment calls for a chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, or malvasia bianca. The smell of briny sea air, rotting seaweed and wet sand would also blend well with an earthy pinot noir.

Gazing at a full moon on a warm, velvet summer night is definitely a pinot noir moment. The earth, mushroom, cherry and barnyard mystique of a good pinot noir celebrates the silvery effect of the moon on my surroundings and psyche. It reminds me of earth and tides and werewolves and childhood bonfires.

A crackling fire contained in a cozy fireplace on a cold winter evening calls for something dark and rich. I prefer a heavy cabernet sauvignon or a Bordeaux blend.

Rules for pairing wine with a particular moment parallel those for pairing wine and food. If the moment is one of deep relaxation and contentment, like moonlit nights and fireside chats, then a deep, rich red wine is an appropriate choice. Cooking with friends, sunset barbecues and other festive moments call for a chilled white or complex pinot.

There are, of course, special moments that do not match with wine, but which should be celebrated with an appropriate beverage. Hiking, kayaking, gardening and sunbathing are moments that call for iced tea or sparkling water. Washing the car, cleaning the garage, and massive housecleanings require cheerful music and a cold beer. Yoga and bedtime meditations are followed by a hot cup of fragrant tea.

There are wines for sunsets, wines for chopping vegetables, wines for late night conversations with friends, wines for chess, wines for videos.

I love enjoying a good glass of wine with an interesting movie in the comfort of my home. But I’ve discovered that wines must be carefully chosen for a movie. Most action adventure movies are so suspenseful that I’m frozen in adrenaline shock, and couldn’t be less interested in wine or anything else except the good guys’ survival. Stephen King and red wine is not a good combination, but classic murder mysteries and psychological suspense are excellent with red wine. (And of course for Silence of the Lambs, you must have a good Chianti.)

French Burgundies go well with North by Northwest, Vertigo, and The Treasure of Sierra Madre. Champagne for Philadelphia Story. For some reason, an Italian blend or pinot nero would appeal to me with Bridge Over the River Kwai. It’s a personal decision, and easier to make with classics because you generally remember the actors, setting and plot. Your emotional involvement in the plot is also important. Psycho suspense I enjoy, but I must be assured of a happy ending, or it’s not a wine moment. I could never, for instance, drink wine while watching On the Beach. I can’t even take aspirin for weeks after watching On the Beach.

Is food necessary to the enjoyment and full appreciation of a good wine? I say no. And wine is not a necessary accompaniment to good food. There are nights when the simple aroma of a baked potato will make me sigh with delight, and I would not want to numb my palate to its earthy flavor. Wine can, and often does, make a meal special, a play of aromas, flavor and texture. Wine can also make a moment special, if we are aware of our environment, and if we reach inside ourselves to recognize the emotions we bring to each experience.