Wheeler (Lil' Deb's Oasis): Journey to the Center of Your Wine (Wine Zine 02)
A Brief History of the Wine Journey at Lil Deb’s Oasis
Originally Published November 2018
It’s hard to ask someone for what you want when you don’t know the words.
When we started growing our program at Lil’ Deb’s Oasis, I would ask tables “What wine do you normally like?” They would respond with Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or just look nervous. I would bring them my best try; it wouldn’t really land.
The problem wasn’t the wine— the problem was a combination of me trying to compare our wines to a more traditional list and me alienating anyone who didn’t have a wine vocabulary. By asking what wines people normally liked, I would immediately set up any wine I brought to be disappointing — because a huge part of why we love natural wine at Lil Deb’s Oasis is because it doesn’t taste like anything you know. I also set an expectation that if someone wanted wine, they had to have enough previous experience to know the names of wines, which flavors they like, and how to identify said flavors upon tasting. My approach did not match the aim of our food, staff culture, and larger environment, which is to open doors, share what we have, and make people feel good without pretense.
I started doing “wine journeys” because I realized that unless you get paid to know about natural wine or have the class status/cultural capital to know what natural wine is, accessing a wine vocabulary is almost impossible. One day in the winter, I started asking various tables this question: “You have a log cabin in the woods— would you rather have a bear skin rug inside or a jacuzzi tub outside?” The responses told me what I actually wanted to know. They showed me the their needs at the most base level? Is leaving the house an abrasive thing? Do they like sweet or savory? Is their breakfast more of a production or a monastic moment? Their answers show me the most private selves of people, before they enter the world, and show me the foundation they’ve set for their day. (One of my favorite answers: “Two bites of baby food” whispered through a grimace.)
Like a flow chart, each question helps focus which wines I think will be a match. But also, as with most things at Lil Deb’s Oasis, my approach is more holistic than anything else. There is no formula for a wine journey —answer “X” does not provide you with wine “Y”.
THE MOMENT
“What is your bed like?”
A: “On a platform, egyptian cotton sheets, linen duvet cover.”
Q: “Do you sleep with the window open? How many pillows?”
A: “Yes, always. Two perfect pillows—I don’t do throw pillows.”
Q: “What did you have for breakfast?”
A: “I had like, a Turkish breakfast— olives and nuts and cheese and crackers tomatoes.”
THE WINES
Coume de Olla by Matassa 2016 (Chilled)
Poket by Vinya Ferrer 2015 (Chilled)
THE MOMENT
“If you could have any celebrity join you, alive or dead, who would it be?”
A: “Leonardo Dicaprio. Not sexy or young—I want like Blood Diamond- era Leo.”
THE WINE
Pi Not by Paraschos 2015 (I know I said I like to give options but in this case there was truly no other option—it had to be this wine.)
THE MOMENT
“We want a white wine.”
Q: “Okay, are you familiar with the movies of Cate Blanchett?”
A: “Yeah..”
Q: “Which of her movies do you want to drink right now?”
A: “Notes on a Scandal.”
