December 01, 2009
Simple Gifts
A remarkable thing happens to me when I let myself stretch a little, when I take a little risk: the gifts come pouring in. These take many forms: a single blunt compliment, or the simple suggestion of a smile from someone wholly new. Or it might be a new request to work my craft, or to become part of a new enterprise. It might simply be a thing that in itself is just a thing, but is also something more, imbued with intent, an artifact of connecting, of human experience.
A new gift arrived today. This time it took the form of a bottle of Greek wine, an Aivalis Agiorgitiko, sent by someone I didn’t even know just a few months ago. But I’ve been stretching a little recently, reaching out with curiosity and a huge appetite to a community of wine and food loving people, trying to learn more. This is how I met Markus Stolz, a German who lives in Athens with his Greek wife and four kids, and who’s trying to elevate the stature of Greek wine abroad. I’d recently edited a piece for Palate Press that mentioned Agiorgitiko, and Markus discovered that although I’d had to fact-check the name, I’d never tried the wine. This was unacceptable, evidently—and bang, a bottle arrived by post two weeks later.
Yes, it was requited. In return, Markus got a quart of maple syrup from a sugarbush a mile from my house. He’s thrilled, and his kids are more so. But reciprocity is not the point. A gift like this tells me that I must be doing something right, that I’m taking the right kind of chances. Because now I’ve found someone on the other side, shouting back through the amber fog—someone I hope will be there for a long, long time.
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Posted at 07:01 PM in Greece, Palate Press, Reds, Wines | Permalink
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I’d like to take credit for this interwebs connections. I am a matchmaker working with a series of tubes.
Really - send me some maple and I’ll send you some Riesling. It’s a trading post, this maker’s table!
Posted by: Evan Dawson | December 01, 2009 at 07:44 PM
Clearly, I’m going to have to work out some kind of deal with that neighbor who makes the syrup.
Posted by: Meg Houston Maker | December 01, 2009 at 08:57 PM
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I just received this truly beautiful tribute. I “met” Meg on twitter just a short few months ago, and she is one of my favorite persons from the wine community. It is so great that one is able to stretch out these connections into real life. Small gestures go a long way - all it takes is to listen, engage, and share. I can’t wait to try the maple syrup on waffles with my family. And I am truly grateful to live in a time where it is possible to make friends with wonderful people like Meg.
