Vinyl & Wine – Installment I

It’s a shame we make the same mistakes over and over again.
A few days after I completed my first sitting of Vinyl & Wine, a friend and I had a conversation in which we talked about how it is often difficult to broach a subject when we know the conversation could be tumultuous; though we are quite confident the end result will be positive.  Yet each time the situation arises, we find ourselves backed against the same wall, sweating profusely, flustered by all the permutations of possibly negative outcomes. 
We make other mistakes too.  We create agendas when none are required.  We use thirty words when ten will do.  We say things we do not mean.  We mean to say things we forget or cannot find the words for.  We all too often find ourselves to be all too human.

Then we hear a song.  We drink a glass of wine.  We laugh with friends.  We write letters to relatives.  We run into old flames.  We kindle fires with new ones.  We hold hands with our spouses.  We find ourselves a collective of unstoppable forces united in the enjoyment of the beauty of the things we are beholden to.  We are simple in our complexities.  We are flawless in our recurring error.
This is the beauty of Kris Kristofferson.  A man whose words are so simple, yet capture so much depth of meaning.  A classic, and yet sometimes forgotten songwriter; amongst the greatest of a generation. 
In the Austin Sessions, Kristofferson even further explores the rapt emotion and what feels like effortless depth of the origins of some of his greatest works, and does so by creating more raw, stripped down versions while adding delicate harmonies to create fullness and balance.
It was only fitting then that I happened upon the selection of a rugged yet flavorful Spanish Rioja red named Ergo, from Martín Codax, to match up with this album, creating a blend as natural and raw as the components themselves. 
The Rioja is named for its region in Spain and is made primarily from Tempranillo, a rich, black grape used to create full-bodied reds.  Tempranillos are traditionally rich with berry and plum flavors with touches of tobacco, herb, leather, and vanilla.  The tannins are evident, but not overwhelming. 

Truly it seemed unspectacular at first; by no means a shock to the pallet.  Yet as both the wine and the words set in, both began to absorb my mind in a specific way.  The richness was subtle and had to be earned.  It seemed such an appropriate parallel for Kristofferson; especially an older, stripped-down, humbler, and wiser version.
The real beauty of Kris Kristofferson is that he cannot be taken on contrivance.  I think this is why it was so important that this blend of the Austin Sessions and Ergo was my first venture with Vinyl & Wine.