There is something about traveling.

There is the shedding of home-bound expectations and comfort.  There is the excitement of exploration, and there is the grass-is-greener-on-the-other-side-ness that permeates your perspective.

I love traveling.  In fact, usually when I travel somewhere, at some point my mind gets clouded with hare-brained schemes of how I could quite possibly move to the place I’ve just visited.

There is also the envy that strikes those back home.  You feel you’re doing the same old thing, when those close to you are out gallivanting, carefree, having a much better time than you.

But then it’s recalled, that traveling, exploring new lands, is never a black and white thing, and often times there are even more stresses then there are back home, where (above anything else) you have the advantage of comfort, stability and routine.  When my wife and I spent months backpacking Southeast Asia years back, by the last couple weeks we were totally done with it.  We pined for the dependable routine of a day-to-day job (really!).  We looked forward to always having dry clothes.  When we got back home there would be prices on things!  No haggling for ten minutes when you just need to take a taxi because you’re tired and really want to sleep.  We were hot.  We were itchy.  We were broke.  Yes, beaches and beers filled our days, and that’s what those back home saw us doing, but many of those times that they were picturing us sitting under a beach umbrella, cozy with beer and beefy novels - realistically at that time were were probably trying to close the taxi door, needing to speed back to the hotel and its (squat) toilet, but we couldn’t quite close the door because there was a leper in the street grabbing at our ankles.

God I miss traveling sometimes.

And so…

My pal and partner in this website, Jake, moved to San Francisco a couple weeks ago.

Sure.

Whatever.

Ok, yeah, maaaybe it’s my second favourite American city <cough!>.

Maybe I’ve spent most of the summers of my childhood there.

And, totally, I’ve been very fortunate to have visited many times as an adult, and am also fortunate to have good friends with soft couches there who have harboured us in the past.

But, MAN!  Every time Jake posts, DUDE, I SO want to be there.  All those different wine shops!  Many restaurants I’ve heard legend of and haven’t had the chance to visit.  Those teeny-tiny wine prices!

And his view!  DID YOU SEE HIS VIEW?!?

Crazy!

But then, I have to always remember, that the view from here ain’t so bad either.

Right?

Oddly enough, the post that really filled me with envy was his recent one about the Jura.  I’d never had a wine from the Jura, and was impressed with how accessible they seemed to be down there.  Yeah, Jake’s probably right - you’d never see those wines on a list up here.  Too rare, risky and pricey.

But, then…

Yesterday, as I walked into the IVSA Tasting at the Four Seasons, the lovely Barb Mills of “That’s Life Gourmet” called me over and made my day!

BOOM!

From the Jura, and suddenly right in my hand was the 2000 Arbois Vin Jaune from Stephane Tissot!

The style had everything Jake mentioned, it was Sherry/Amontillado-ish, nutty, citrusy, creamy, weird and delicious.  And relatively affordable.  So intriguing and so tasty that -yes- I’m totally putting it on the list at Salt.  Their red will come, too!

So there we go.  I probably wouldn’t have given it more than a glance if it wasn’t for Jake’s discovery and exploration of the stuff.

And now, when he moves back to Vancouver in the Spring, he’ll have an awesome glass of Vin Jaune from the Jura, which will also - oddly enough - be a little piece, a delicious reminder, of San Francisco.

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