Explain the word “sweet” to me.

When you describe the word, are you explaining the sight of something, the taste of something, the feeling for someone or a sense of happiness? What does sweet mean to you? Think about that for a moment and I believe you’ll be overwhelmed by your thoughts of sweetness.

As a young lad, chocolate chip cookies were sweet to me. I confess they still are pleasing to me — maybe it’s the chocolate that appeals to me? Or, is it the sugar in the cookie? Does my mind go into overdrive and just informs me the cookie I’m holding is going to be sweet?

In other words, is sweetness a power of suggestion or a fact?

If you answer that question by stating sweetness is a fact, how do you explain the sweet feeling you have for someone? That’s an emotion, correct? Hmmm…what’s going on here?

Obviously, the answer is that sweet is a combination of fact and emotion, and it manifests itself to you in many ways. For instance…

I recently visited a friend of mine who lives in the bluff area of the countryside. It was raining upon my arrival at his country house, and I was a bit confused because of a wrong turn I’d taken. A phone call straightened out the matter, and we were soon sitting in his living room having a most enjoyable chat.

We hadn’t really talked for quite some time and it felt good to smartmouth and talk seriously for a bit. Was that a sweet time? I kept glancing over my shoulder and looking out of the window — there was a sight that kept intriguing and nudging me to look at it. After a bit, I stood up and looked out the window.

What greeted my eyes was one of the most pastoral scenes I’ve seen in a long time. A beautiful view of a green grass pasture completely surrounded by green covered bluffs. Its beauty and peace grabbed me like a glass of mead.

Does that last sentence say something about my state of mind? A peaceful pastoral scene brings a glass of mead to mind –is that proper?

Dang right it is! Sight brings emotion into play by energizing one’s memory. In this case, the fantastic scene called to mind a glass of mead I’d recently enjoyed — the sweetness of honey along with the wine created a sense of serenity.

Unfortunately, I could not walk the pasture or the area due the rain — maybe another time.

Sweet wines are extremely popular and there’s variety of them from which to choose from and titillate your love of sweetness.

Vietti Moscato d’Asti is a wonderfully balanced wine. The acidity of the liquid is so in tune with its sweetness, and who doesn’t enjoy a peach, right? This wine is peachy and at 5% ABV, it’s a pleasurable to drink.

A good wine to mention is Risata Moscato d’Asti because of its fun fizziness. This one is noted at 5-1/2% ABV but it’s not overly sweet even with its orange and honey flavors. Enjoy its fizzy nature — it’s fun to drink!

If you want to have a nice Port, try Porto Valdouro Ruby Port. Its ABV is 20%, but it’s filled with richness and nutty flavors. A good end of the day bit of sweetness.

One must not forget Chateau Ste. Michelle Harvest Select Riesling — no, never forget it! Yes, it’s ABV is 12%, but it’s filled with bright fruit flavors to pair with its soft acidity. There’s an amazing clean finish — a perfect mate with any meal.

So, as you can see, the ABV (Alcohol By Volume) helps identify a sweet wine, right? How can a liquid be sweet anywhere from 5 to 20% ABV? Is it in the magic of the wine and how you perceive it? Only you can make that determination.

Just go ahead and enjoy the sweetness of life — no matter if you find it in a pastoral view, a bottle of wine or in a cookie.

Just enjoy it!

As always, eat and drink in moderation but laugh with reckless abandon!

Cheers!