Collectors

            This week I had the opportunity to help a customer that was looking for a particular pinot grigio.  It was no real surprise that he couldn’t remember the name of the wine or whether it was domestic or imported. 

            What caught my interest was the detail he gave in describing the label on the bottle.  I spent some more time talking to him and got the story.  He explained that he owns a snow blower and in the winter likes to clean the sidewalks of most of the people on his block.  In exchange they tend to leave bottles of wine in the snow by his doorstep.  Here is where it gets interesting, this guy said he doesn’t really like the taste of wine but he tried this pinot grigio and thought it was tasty and wanted more.  I couldn’t help asking him why people gave him wine if he didn’t like the stuff.  He explained that he collected wine for the art on the labels.  In fact he claimed to have several thousand bottles at home in his collection.  I looked at him for a second and was about to explain that most people who collect wine labels don’t keep the empty bottle let alone full ones.  But then I decided, what the heck, this guy is having fun with his little hobby and who was I to tell him how to go about it.  Besides, maybe he thinks the labels look better with the different colors of wine as a background.    So instead I took him over to see the Oreana Project Happiness Syrah.  The whole of the label is a bright yellow smiley face.  I told him that it was my favorite label in the store.  He decided to get it as a present for someone he knew.  When it was all done even though he didn’t get the pinot grigio he came in looking for he went away happy and I had a good story to tell this week.

            I can relate to that customer, he is a collector and collectors are quirky people.  I should know I’m a collector of books myself.  There are several thousand of the things crammed onto shelves all over my house.  On more than one occasion I have been told that I am doing everything wrong when it comes to book collecting.

            When I get books autographed I like to have the author personalize the inscription to me.  It seems that sort of thing really subtracts from the value of a first edition if you ever try to sell it.  Who cares!  I also read the books when I get home with them and no matter how careful you are it’s no longer in mint condition when you finish reading. 

            The whole point for me has never been the value my books might have at some time in the future but the enjoyment I get out of them now.  I can pick up any one of my books and think back to the event I was at when I got it signed and enjoy reliving that moment.

            When I have had a stressful day at work I can come home open up any book and lose myself in the universe the author created and suddenly my problems don’t seem all that bad.  Sure, it’s escapism but what’s so bad about that?

            I imagine it is the same for that customer with his thousands of bottles of wine.  Maybe he comes home after a hard day’s work and goes straight to his wine collection.  Maybe pulling out bottles from the rack and looking at the labels relaxes him.  Still, I have to wonder about one thing.  What is the guy going to think of that prized label on say, a bottle of rose when the wine goes from pink to muddy brown with age?  Maybe he will learn to like the taste of wine before then.