Quality.
Is it subjective? Or objective?
Perhaps, there is no straight-up black-or-white answer. Perhaps it always depends on the context. (Which might mean subjective.)
This series began out of the desire to write off my wine purchases as a business expense. Wine reviews. Why not. But with a bit of uniqueness. Expand from a simple review to wine-inspired philosophical ponderances, humorous divergences, and who knows what else. Genius. Or stupidity.
And I confess: the quality of these writings - in my perspective - probably isn't up to par to much of my others.
Yet that aside, the series continues. And this installment has been fuelled by a fine red wine, the 2012 Zweigelt from Kalala Organic Estate Winery.
This, I must say, is of higher quality that the last couple reds reviewed.
Not being a wine connosseuir, I really don't fucking know what all determines the quality of a wine.
One might think price could be a reflection. But that logic doesn't work.
Generally, a higher price tag should reflect a higher quality. Though the proportions aren't always reliable. Sometimes, there just seems an element of randomness.
Yet, even if not a connosseuir, quality can be recognizable on the first impression.
Like with this wine.
First off, [Kalala Organic Estate Winery](Kalala Organic Estate Winery)... it's organic.
Does "organic" necessarily mean better? That'd be subjective.
Many might argue yes, for moral reasons or matters related to beliefs about healthiness. But, maybe they're just quacks. Maybe it's the 21st century, and we ought to broaden our thinking to accept that GMOs and chemicals really aren't all as bad as the losers on social media who have nothing better to do than regurgitate scienfically-wrong misinformation from quack "news" sites make them out to be. (It's okay - I can judge, as I was one of those people for too long - not proud to admit.)
Though in the case of this wine, I must confess: whether it's the organic factor or not, this stuff is smooth.
Like, noticable smooth.
Of course, there are surely other wines that aren't organic that might be comparable in the smoothness department. Though, maybe in this case, organic does make a difference.
Though, let's look a few layers deeper.
Maybe there was more that went into this particularly nice wine than just organically-grown grapes that resulted in it's quality standing out as higher than average.
Sure, it might have been some kinda magical higher-quality yeast, or they used more expensive brewing equipment, or some shit like that. But what I'm talking about: the intention.
Whether or not the organic grapes really make a difference, the proprietors of this winery chose to go organic because - regardless of whether their beliefs that organic was better is actually true or not - they cared.
They probably could have saved themselves a bit of extra time and money by going non-organic, like most grape growers do. But they didn't get into the business to cut corners. They did it to make great wine. With heart and soul poured into it.
Yeah, that sounds a bit cheesy. (And hey... while wine and cheese are reputed to go together, yet I don't like cheese, I am pairing the wine with some Spicy Nacho Cheese Doritos. Damn, I shouldn't have just admitted it. That's not that classy.) But, it's true.
Why I'm persisting to write these wine reviews... I'm not totally sure. Part of me really dislikes the idea. And, I could stop there and leave the output as shit.
But, I tend to place value on contributing quality content to this community. Thus, no matter what I write about, I try my best to pour my heart and soul into it. And typically, it makes some kind of difference.
Perhaps not all my stories might suit everyone's tastes. Just like this smooth organic red wine might not please the palate of every wine drinker. Or how wine itself might not be everyone's taste at all.
Nonetheless, there are clearly distinct factors which separate the lower quality from higher quality - be it wine, writing, or anything else.
Why does any of this matter?
Because we've only got one life to live. (Well, I suppose one could argue, if we were to venture off into the reincarnation debate. Though for now, let's just forget that.)
With limited time on this planet, why not make the most of it.
Yeah, any wine might get us a nice buzz and taste decent. But really, there's a quality to the quality wines that just makes the whole experience all that much more pleasant and satisfying.
The smoothness on the palate of this Zweigelt... it's nice. It infuses my being with a vibration of the love that was put into it. It's really just alot more enjoyable than the other average ones.
And, as well as the quality of what we put in to our bodies (and minds), there is the question of the quality of what we put out.
For every story we post on Steemit, or action we take elsewhere, there's an opportunity cost.
The time spent writing that average post... we probably coulda put in a little more effort to really meet higher standards of quality to ensure the reader's consciousness was infused with that same sense of love and care put into the organic wine.
At the end of this life, we'll probably not look back with high regard upon the things we did half-assed. We'll probably wish we did alot more to put in that extra attention and care to make sure the legacy we're leaving behind has quality written all over it.
Of course, we have some time left in this cycle of our current lives. So why the fuck are we wasting it producing anything less than quality?
Granted, I could be contradicting myself here. Perhaps there are plenty of other "more important" things that could be written about, that would be of a higher quality.
Though, here I am. And such, I've done my best not to skimp out.
As weird of a twisted, random post this might seem like, you have my guarantee that there is a degree of diligence and conscientiousness put into it that ensures a certain standard of quality - regardless of the content itself.
I'd hope that the reading left between the lines is apparent.
Sometimes the points to be made aren't best expressed stated outright, but weaved between the spaces in a story where they are discovered for oneself.
Wisdom hides in the least expected places sometimes.
Like in a bottle of fine red organic wine from BC's Okanagan Valley.
(And not to forget the piece of 2012 - wine getting better with age - wisdom growing with age & experience - wisdom's expression culminating in quality... deduce for yourself, no need for any further elaboration on my part...)
Moral of the story?
We can't always guess whether a bottle of wine will be quality when we buy it or not. So, we might spend a bit more in hopes it is. But even if not, we'll drink it and be better off anyways.
Regardless, we can control the quality of what we contribute in life.
Maybe it's a silly Steemit story. Maybe a serious one. Maybe some other kind of artistic work or a business project. Or even the interaction in a friendship or with family.
And what makes the difference: Love. Heart. Soul. Attention. Care. Etc, etc, etc.
Someone else is going to drink our wine, read our writing, ingest our art, absorb the vibe we put out. So, why not ensure they'll get their money's / time's worth.
Slack, and you'll fade into mediocrity.
Set your sights to fulfill upon the standards for exceptional quality, and who knows the ripple effects of that vibration as your conscious love radiates out through those it touches.
Blah blah blah...