Saina Nieminen
Saina Nieminen
"Many of the people who came to us were of the kind who would be a nuisance anywhere but have special opportunities in a bookshop." Among bookshop keepers this is the most famous George Orwell quote, much more so than those Animal Farm or 1984 ones that are commonly mentioned. But those of us who survive in the business longer than Orwell did, survive largely because we not only see the nastiest (and smelliest!) customers on the planet; we see the nicest, most warmhearted ones, too.
I have one regular customer who doesn't talk much but he buys and sells good books and seems like an uncommonly sweet personality. I even give him a 10% discount these days. Somehow he found out that I like wine, so now, before going north for Christmas, he came to our shop for the last time this year and gave me a bottle of wine for Christmas.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Napa Valley; 14,5% abv
What surprised me most is how after such circumstances my critical faculties completely failed. This smelled and tasted lovely with a chunk of bloody lamb. But without this feeling of being appreciated so much that a regular customer would give me such an expensive bottle, I am sure I would not have enjoyed such a minty, oaky, chocolatey, sweet, candied yet extracted wine as this. Yet I honestly did enjoy it. And this is why all wine writing is futile. And since I'm unable to lie about overcoming such feelings, this is why I'll never be a pro in wine writing! Today, this is awesome. I suspect that tomorrow I would call it spoofy and say nasty things about it.
I have one regular customer who doesn't talk much but he buys and sells good books and seems like an uncommonly sweet personality. I even give him a 10% discount these days. Somehow he found out that I like wine, so now, before going north for Christmas, he came to our shop for the last time this year and gave me a bottle of wine for Christmas.
Beringer Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 - Napa Valley; 14,5% abv
What surprised me most is how after such circumstances my critical faculties completely failed. This smelled and tasted lovely with a chunk of bloody lamb. But without this feeling of being appreciated so much that a regular customer would give me such an expensive bottle, I am sure I would not have enjoyed such a minty, oaky, chocolatey, sweet, candied yet extracted wine as this. Yet I honestly did enjoy it. And this is why all wine writing is futile. And since I'm unable to lie about overcoming such feelings, this is why I'll never be a pro in wine writing! Today, this is awesome. I suspect that tomorrow I would call it spoofy and say nasty things about it.
