I’m about to leave the family for over a week to spend an extended time in the company of fellow “digital communicators” interested in wine at the Digital Wine Communications Conference (DWCC).

Much as I love wine, I have no ambitions to spend my life travelling away from the family. The point of wine, to me, is to make things better and brighter, and what *I* want is to stay home with my wife and kids, but still enjoy a tasty wine with a story while I do it.

It was time to open an appropriate bottle from the cellar. Now, “appropriate” for most people means just matching it with food, but that’s so limiting. What makes something special is not just a formula of “X” goes with “Y”. There’s a lot more magic to it, like preparing for a special occasion – you can’t just book the restaurant, you need to think of flowers, a gift, the choice of music, …

The choice tonight was this bottle of La Gramiere, Peter’s Vineyard Syrah 2007. This is a wine with a friendly story.

Made by the very lovely Amy Lillard, and her partner Matt Kling. Amy is one of the original participants of the EWBC, the old name of the DWCC. Not only that, but she has had to miss several previous editions of the EWBC because of vintage, but is making the trip this year again. Hurrah!

Also, I bought it via Naked Wines, who supported the EWBC for several years and who made many successful relationships with winemakers, like Ryan O’Connell, through the EWBC network.

If these aren’t good reasons to add a little “extra” to the enjoyment of a bottle I don’t know what is.

For those interested, this is the note I left on the Naked Wines site:

I managed to hold on to my bottle for a few years, as I think it deserved, and drank it tonight. Fantastic, and still young. Wonderful structure, this wine was not just tasty ripe fruit, but had a great body to it that almost invited you to chew on the fruit (not the tannin) and was fantastic with some grilled lamb. I suspect many drank it too young, and I see that La Gramiere are currently selling the 2010, so I think it deserves, and rewards, patience.

It was delicious, but unfortunately this vintage is sold out. I will ask Amy about the 2010 currently on sale and let you know.