Corkscrew Chronicles: Establish a family/friends wine connection

As I married and started a family, associations with both my and my wife's families became a vital part of our grounding. What was impossible to do when we relocated to Nevada, became a weekly weekend event when we moved back to our native state of Ohio, where both sides of the family had set down roots. The families loved to gather to enjoy sharing a meal, see the children and grandchildren bond and the adults keeping in touch with each other. With my growing interest in wine came a new responsibility of finding inspiring bottles to share during our meals, which enhanced the food we consumed and the family time spent with each other. Vitally important, pairing wine and food with these events illustrated to our children that wine is a moderately consumed food that enhances our shared time. The adults exemplified examples of temperance for their children's future, offering visual consumption guidelines for our offspring. The COVID-19 pandemic (2020-23) dissolved a lot of family and friend connections globally. It was a traumatic time, especially for many who needed relationships to sustain their well-being. It is reported by the World Health Organization Commission on Social Connection that "Social isolation and loneliness are widespread, with around 16 percent of people worldwide experiencing loneliness. High-quality social connections are essential to mental and physical health and well-being … and are important, yet neglected, social determinants for people of all ages." Considering all this information, the group that founded Come Over October (comeoveroctober.com) is promoting Share and Pair Sundays (shareandpairsundays.com) for the weekends from May 3 through June 28. It's not important who you are, what culture you hail from, your tastes in food and wine or your discretionary income. What matters is that you love the enhancement of dining by the inclusion of wine and company. When wine is enjoyed with food and good friends and family, everyone slows down, conversations unfold and connections across the table occur. Wine has always played a role in building and maintaining relationships. It is THE beverage of conviviality. Voices from across the wine world share why those moments matter, and why wine continues to be vital in bringing people together around the table; it slows us down when we most need to, and pulls us to what really matters in life: people significantly important to ourselves. Any gathering counts, from as simple as meeting for a glass of wine and an appetizer at a casual restaurant, sitting for lunch or supper at a family member's home or grilling on the patio with friends, family and an assortment of wines. The most important point is connecting with people and enjoying and sharing the amazing pairings that come when wine is consumed with an entrée. One of the most motivating parts of this concept is the potential to broaden wine's flavor appeal by association with foods of different categories and cultures. Before it was accepted, wine writers pushed boundaries by suggesting wine combinations with unusual types of foods not normally thought to be complementary to each other. Encouraging new pairings will help open an expanded potential for exciting flavor experiences. Share & Pair Sundays celebrates the togetherness, the history and the stories of wine that go beyond what's in the glass. They respect the rich community of all who have an interest in great beverages of quality, including those that are nonalcoholic, so that all who wish to share and join are encouraged to participate. Our personal tradition of weekly family weekend gatherings will continue through the future. Sustaining our personal connections has been rewarding, calming and regenerative. Gary Twining is a certified wine educator who worked 34 years in the wholesale fine wine industry. Email him at winingwithtwining@hotmail.com.