Entry #83

Identity
by Ryan Collins


You stand in front of a dinner party. Friends stare up at you. You search for the words to describe the wine you hold, but with no label where to start?

“There are 457 bottles exactly like this one downstairs. I received all of them last week in boxes shipped from my father. As to their content, I’d guess some are Sauvignon Blanc and some are Shiraz. Some of them must be Cabernets, and some should be Pinot. I’d also bet there are some Merlots and Chardonnays in the mix. Truth be told, I don’t now, I was never much of a wine guy.”

“Sure! We all know that’s true!” Shouts a friend.

You smile, “They all come in different shapes and bottle sizes. They all have different colors and come from differing vineyards and differing parts of the world. Some are grand-cru and cost hundreds, maybe even thousands of dollars. Others were bought from Mainelys down the street for a couple bucks. Yet, for all their differences they share one common, universal fact: they have all lost their label.”

“Oh right! Your parent’s house flooded last year,” comments another friend.

“Is the loss of a label a tragedy? I think not. In fact, I think we’ve been given a scarce freedom. We’ve been given the freedom to discover our own label and to justly decide if there’s truth, after all, in the wine. With that, my father’s words come to mind, ‘Identity is made, not written.’ Cheers!”

“Cheers!”