Tisdale Chardonnay Wine - Loreto, Baja California Sur

Drink what you like.

(cue dramatic score by John Williams, and lens flare by J.J. Abrams)

Falls to knees.

Hails the wine Gods.

Sheds a tear.

Thanks the lucky stars.

And, scene.

For there are incredibly informed wine critics and wine writers out there who finally make us feel at peace with the fact that, perhaps, a $3.99 (120 pesos here in Baja California Sur where I’m shooting some new Stark Insider TV segments) Tisdale Chardonnay is a perfectly quaffable wine. Because, after all, I like it. Well, “like” of course is all relative. I like it for the price. I like it because when in the Baja finding a bottle that isn’t baked is even harder than finding a wi-fi signal. Most of all I like it because it tastes like wine.

Yet, wine writers and bloggers like to remind us time and time again. My favorite part is the smirk; the all-knowingness that follows imparting such exceptional wisdom upon the masses. Liberation tastes good, especially at 120 pesos a bottle. You, me should be eternally grateful.

Drink what you like.

Why didn’t I think of that? Sometimes common sense stares us straight in the face. Read what you like (The Shining by Stephen King). Check. Watch what you like (Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby). Check. Eat what you like (Porterhouse and frites). Check.

All well and good, but little did I know that I should be drinking wine that I actually like. As I thought about it here in the Baja, taking refuge in a small casa in the desert, covering from mosquitoes, and downing a 6-pack of Tecate (Light), the brilliance of the advice really struck home because…

… chances are if you drink something you don’t like, you won’t like it.

Drink what you like.

Clinton shoots videos for Stark Insider. San Francisco Bay Area arts, Ingmar Bergman and French New Wave, and chasing the perfect home espresso shot 25 seconds at a time (and failing). Peloton: ClintTheMint. Camera: Video Gear