Wine: The Flip Side

Way back in recent antiquity (how’s that for an oxymoron?), in the early days of rock’n’roll, there was something called a “45.” No, this was not some Saturday-night special: it was a little record that would go around the turntable forty-five times per minute. These records usually featured two tracks, one on the “A” side, the other on the “B.” The B-side track was usually inferior to that of the A. If you have any doubts about this, why don’t you compare a few of them? My advice would be to start with The Beatles’ “Let It Be” (Side A) and “You Know My Name (Look Up the Number)” (Side B). See what I mean?

In some ways, vinegar can be considered wine’s B side. After all, the derivation of the word vinegar is from Old French, where it meant “sour wine.” But it would be a mistake to assume, let alone assert, that vinegar cannot achieve A-side status. Over the next couple of weeks drinkingjapan.org will turn its attention to vinegar, to two exceptional examples of it. But unlike the hapless oysters who have been led down the primrose path by the walrus and the carpenter, you are in no danger.