There is a natural law in sequence, a one-directional order defines what seems right or beautiful, and what feels wrong or “off”. This sequence is not a subjective perception, it is an objective standard, a proven method for the best experience, in drinking or otherwise.
When it comes to wine, starting from the light and sharp, to the medium and fruity, to the heavy and complex, is a natural progression. It is like beginning with a childhood innocence, journeying through a variety of experiences offered by adulthood, to finally savouring the layers of learnings in a brew of memories at old age. The progression is one directional and irreversible.
I could explain using my favourite general principle of relativity, that the progress from one to the next should be only one-directional. A step down from the previous level diminishes the pleasure at both stages and the experience overall. It makes the present unpalatable (relative to the previous), and makes the previous a lamentable regret since it was lost. A forward progression, on the other hand, builds on the merits of the previous (thereby preserving the pleasure from the previous) and elevates the level of enjoyment to the next.
At a recent new year celebration lunch, I had the pleasure of a sequence of beautiful champagnes, starting from left to right:
Pol Roger Brut Reserve - Jacquesson Cuvee 744 - Tattinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc 2008 - Dom Perignon 2006
A pleasant little surprise from the Dom, though being the oldest in the lot, it preserved a youthful exuberance despite its reserved continence - a true representation of being young at heart.
Back to the topic of progression, as in every choice and decision (in drinking and in life), there is a point of no return, where it is either something more or nothing else. No turning back. Our natural greed propels us to seek more and more, regardless of whether it is in the right order of progress. That often ruins the overall experience we get in the end. The more is no longer the merrier, but a stagnation or a digression, leading to disappointments, regrets and worse, a life-crushing indifference.
While we may not always have the choice over what’s coming next, we always have the choice of whether to accept. We can always choose to wait, to stop, or to end on a high note instead of indiscriminately taking more, having more for more sake. We can choose to walk away happy, be grateful, whether or not there will be another day.
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