Wine Journaling: A Useful Tool for Life and Holidays
Often when the term journaling is mentioned, it conjures images that are limited to the therapeutic applications of journaling, in which people keep a journal to sort through problems or come to a deeper understanding of their emotions and responses to external stimuli. But journaling has other applications as well. Specifically, keeping a journal can be a beneficial practise for those who love to travel, who enjoy wine, cigars, or anything else that might make up a part of one’s daily or holiday pursuits. Can’t remember the name of that fantastic Cabernet that you had on your last holiday to the Loire Valley? Having trouble recalling the brand of cigar that your boss mentioned as his favourite? Keeping a journal enables you to discreetly jot down all of these details that, though they might seem insignificant at the time, may prove to be important to you later on .
One of the most popular applications for journaling is keeping a wine journal. A wine journal can consist of anything you choose. Some people choose to catalog every single wine they taste, from the vintage and producer right down to the type of grape used and any key tasting notes they feel may help them to recall the wine. Others prefer to keep a journal only of wines that they feel really stood out, perhaps to use for future reference when hosting a dinner party or gala. Whatever means you choose, there is no right or wrong method. How you decide to compile your wine journal is completely up to you, but as with anything, there are a few tricks of the trade that you may find helpful if you are just getting started.
To determine the type of journal that you need, it’s best to make an accurate assessment of how you will be using the journal. Those that simply want a quick-reference guide to help them recall some of the more memorable wines they have tasted might be able to use a small pocket-sized journal or notebook, or perhaps even dedicate some space on their personal laptops, smart phones, or other handheld devices to keep a wine journal. There are even downloadable apps available to make the wine journaling process easier and more accessible. Conversely, those that are truly serious about their wine may want to consider something with a bit more room to write, such as a spiral-bound notebook, a wine-specific journal with specially-designed entry pages, or even a large binder with enough room to paste the wine’s label into the text of the entry, or perhaps even a photograph of the bottle. Other data that those keeping a wine journal may wish to collect (regardless of how serious they are about their wine), might include the circumstances in which the wine was tasted, and any personal tasting notes, including the variety and any other basic label information that you feel you might want to recall at a later date.
No matter what your reason for deciding to keep a wine journal, the objective is the same; enjoy your wine!
