As I continue to advance to higher and higher “experience levels” in this game called life, I am sometimes reminded of past adventures that I had almost completely forgotten about. Some random visual, phrase or even aroma will bring up a distant memory that, until that moment, I had completely lost track of. And for an ever-so-brief moment, I am transported back to that time and place, reliving it once again, before the moment is lost again in the midst of my everyday hustle and bustle. And it occurs to me that I wish I had the means to remind myself of other moments that have perhaps faded from my active memory. Like a photographic memory. That’s it! Photographs!!! I may not have the memory, but I do have photographs!

With today’s technology, photographs are rather easy to come by. Whip out your smartphone, open the camera and accidentally hold down the photo button and presto, you’ve got 20 photos (of the same thing) in a matter of seconds. Quite different from when a certain blogger was growing up and it might be six months to a year before you saw a photo you took depending on how long it took you to finish a roll of film. And no, this is not going to turn in to an “Old Man yells at clouds” rant, though I do like me some good cloud-yelling from time to time. My pseudo-point is – more “moments” are being captured in today’s world than in any other time in history. My question is – and probably my real point – how often are these photographs being looked at again? Taking a photograph is only half the process – if it is never looked at again, save for maybe a brief lifetime on an Instagram story or Facebook post, was there any point in taking it? One of the best presents I ever received from my parents after I moved out was a photo album they cheekily titled “This is your life”. The photographs it contains, from my infant years (shoving chocolate cake in my mouth as a 1-year-old) to right up through my wedding to Mrs. Chump (and all the exhilarating and embarrassing moments in between), serve almost as an additional memory-bank for me. Moments I may not carry with me from day to day, but when pulled out and looked at, are as real and near as if they happened yesterday. I love the times that have occurred within our family when, whether by intention, or by trying to get out of cleaning, we have come across the photo albums within our cabinet, and all sat down to relive the memories we have made together and individually.

At the risk of this now becoming an actual “not-quite-old-but-not-quite-young-either man yells at clouds” situation, when was the last time you held an actual photo album in your hands? Or taking it even one step further, when was the last time you put a photo album together? I do not consider myself a very prolific photographer and yet, over the years, have accumulated over 18,000 photographs on my phone. Yes, I have made some “albums” on my phone to make it easier to see some photos, such as our trip to Florence, Italy. But, for the vast majority of these photographs, I never look at them. I can’t help but think that if they were printed out and put into an actual, physical photo album, they might get seen more often. And the memories they captured might also be re-lived more often. So consider this your (and my own) encouragement to look at those photos and make a book of memories, either for yourself, your friends or your family.

When you do find the time and the moment to pull out those old photos, you are going to want a wine equal to the moment(s). For me, that wine is L’Ecole’s Ferguson, a fabulous Bordeaux Blend from the Walla Walla AVA in Washington. Mrs. Chump and I were fortunate to try this particular bottle on our trip out to the Pacific Northwest this past fall (more on that to come soon!) and couldn’t resist bringing a bottle home. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon, 24% Merlot, 16% Cabernet Franc with the rest balanced out with Petit Verdot and Malbec. All the grapes come from their estate vineyard Ferguson, named for the founder of L’Ecole. If you don’t trust me on how good this wine is (a little offence taken), you can trust the fine folks of Decanter, who, in 2014, named the inaugural vintage of Ferguson (2011) as the International Trophy winner for the Best Bordeaux Blend over $15, beating wines from both Napa Valley and Bordeaux! It has beautiful black fruit in both the aroma as well as the palate, with baking spices and black pepper added in as well. Barrell-aging for 22 months in 40% new French oak helps smooth out the ample tannins while also helping make this a wine that can age nicely in your cellar (assuming you are more patient than myself). At a cost of $80, it is a bottle worthy of not only reliving the memories from your photographs but making new one’s as well.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. But if you ask me, a photograph is worth so much more. A photograph captures a moment in time. And when the photographer, or the subject of the photograph, looks at that photograph, they have the opportunity to be transported back to that moment again. Back to the relationships they shared with the others in the photograph. Back to the group of friends from their 4-year-old birthday party they haven’t seen in years. Back to the past holidays that were shared. Back to the car they used to drive in high school. Back to their freshman year in college. They get to go back. Here’s hoping you take the time sometime soon to look at the many moments you have captured. While our lives in the here and now certainly make a great live tv show, sometimes it’s more fun to watch the reruns. After all, Wine Not?

Cheers!

Wine Stat Sheet