What binds people together? I’ve been considering this a lot recently.

I think sharing is the answer, it humanizes us to one another. It’s fundamental and primal, going back to our earliest ancestors. Like those early homo sapiens, sharing allows us to exercise our better nature and grow our tribe in the process.  Reciprocal sharing, not inherited traits,  is the real bedrock of a community. I’ll return to that in a moment…

Geena and I have begun forming this tradition with our friends. As often as possible, (every week or two) we invite our closest friends and some hand selected newcomers over for game night. We prepare food and open all the wine we have laying around, so when guests start showing up they’re greeted with a seat around the table, a full glass and enough creamed brie to choke a horse.

This is our simple, modest attempt at community building. What we’ve wrought is an eclectic group of competitive, funny, deep thinking friends. Who share openly, their joys, troubles, advice, philosophies and of course their wine. What we’ve all discovered in the process is, there is more that binds us than divides us. This community is built on reciprocal sharing not inherited traits.

Why is that important?

It’s a microcosm of what our society could be. Should be. If only we were willing to share. There are times when modern life can feel very isolating. Ours is an individualistic society. Where, Isolated and alone, consumption is a palliative measure to soothe our loneliness. In plain English, when you feel alone, you’re more apt to buy shit (Pardon my French).

I love wine. Not simply as something to drink, but as a medium for creating shared experiences. The community that springs from those shared experiences is the perfect antidote for the self-inflicted isolation so many of us suffer from these days.

By opening bottles like the 2015 Folkway Merlot, the 2017 Sans Liege “Côtes-du-Coast” or the 2010 Silver Wines Saviezza for my friends, we are creating a language and a shared literacy when it comes to good wine (integral components of any civilized society 😉). Of course, the wine itself is fantastic. The real magic, however, is that by sharing in this way, we take one tiny step closer to realizing what our society could be.

So, I invite you to join our little community. Come share your ideas, your pains, and your aspirations. We’ve got a bottle waiting for you.

-Aaron Lober

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