As I've evolved in my admittedly rather recent foray into the world of wine, I've forced myself to think hard about what is it that I'm trying to do.  It's a question that I feel everyone, in fact, needs to ask themselves.  My own short answer to that question, in the context of Vinterviews, is simply this: to uncover what lies at the root of what I feel is wine's metaphor for the human condition.  I've come to feel that wine is a vehicle... for connecting and communicating with our natural surroundings, for inspiring and communicating with one another, and for celebrating and exalting that which makes life so precious.  Of course, different people in a myriad of capacities in this industry have their own ways of tapping into that experience — the ones who open themselves to the process, that is.  And it's with them whom I'm most curious to interact.  Because in learning about people's unique perspectives on wine, I learn about myself and ultimately about humanity in general.  After all, the way the see it, wine is but a means to a much more significant and powerful end.  And until I, for one, can truly grasp or comprehend that 'end' (which I doubt will happen in my lifetime), I content myself with attempting to learn a language that resonates with me, and which in many ways allows me to come closer to it all: the language of wine.

How does my philosophical view translate into practical reality?  In short, I've chosen to engage in meaningful conversation with the people who've dedicated so much of their time, energy, and love to wine.  I don't, per se, rate or review wines or their producers.  I'm no good at that — in large part because I'm simply not interested in it.  I'm far more driven to discovering and relaying the stories behind those wines.  And so, when I sit down with wine industry professionals — winemakers & viticulturists, merchants & marketers, competition judges & event directors, prominent writers & media contacts — my role is neither that of a curious consumer nor of a traditional journalist, but more of a wine-knowledgeable envoy whose intent is to discover and then convey what I've experienced, ultimately in the form of a published Q&A containing some contextual narrative.  I see what I'm doing as something far more organic than goal-driven: I'm interested in focusing on the artisanal, and therefore human, aspect of what winemakers do.  And though I welcome the chance to learn the more pragmatic details of a producer's choices in wine production, overwhelmingly I prefer the thrust to be primarily in the telling of their story.  In doing so, I find that the wine's true depth and dimension come to life.