A Guitar, A Taste Of Wine

To be a professional Wine Taster, according to Yiannos Constantinou,

winner of ‘Best Wine Guide in the World’ book competition,

you need three qualifications.

1) a “taste memory”

Wine tasters evaluate thousands of different bottles of wine, and are able to remember them, creating a “flavor and aroma storage room” in their mind.

2) a “cool and calm character”

You should be able to be objective and view the wines in their entirety, observing the quality of color, taste, aroma, how original it is, how it would be accompanied with food and, of course, what it will taste like in years to come.

3) you need to have “a nose for it”

“It’s something you could work on but I personally think that you’re either born with this ‘talent’ or not”, explained Yiannos.

In his 15 year career, Yiannos estimates that in that time he has assessed over 40,000 different types: “I think I’ve tested wines from every corner of the planet”.

We now shift our focus to Guitars. Our third category will be Sermons. How do these three subjects tie together? In an amazing way!

The correct name for a Guitar Maker, is “Luthier”: someone who makes, or repairs, stringed instruments. The word comes from “Luth”, French for “Lute”.

The city of Paracho, Michoacan, Mexico, is home to nearly 2,000 Luthiers - some 2^nd or 3^rd generation in their families - even though the town has a population of 30,000.

There are more guitar makers in Paracho than in the entire United States. It is identified as the Guitar making capitol of Mexico, and some insist that the very best crafted guitars in the world come from only from this town.

The method in making a great guitar is to assemble - using the right “recipe” - different components together in exactly the right way. In a sort of “Perfect Storm” scenario, the best guitar is built only when the desired sound quality is achieved through it’s choice of wood, coupled with the right depth and size of the main body, as well as the physical shape of the main body. These components work together to produce the desired sound.

The selection of wood is critical. Woods, known as Tonewoods, are selected for their acoustic qualities generated through vibration. All woods vibrate, but Tonewoods achieve the most pleasing results upon the ear. Although a Guitar can be made out of a single species of wood, the common practice is to assemble a mixture of different woods in different parts of the instrument.

Woods such as Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian Rosewood, Honduran Mahogany, Cuban Mahogany, European Flamed Maple, Western Hard Rock Maple, Koa from Hawaii, and Walnut are used for the Back and sides.

Sitka Spruce from Northwest Canada and Alaska, Adirondack Spruce from the East Coast, Norway Spruce, Western Red Cedar from Canada, and Western Larch from North America is used for the Soundboard (top of the instrument).

Making a Guitar is a skilled trade, as well as being truly an art form.

Luthiers at work:

http://www.amicortina.com/diapogran/lut20.jpg

http://www.lutherie.net/mozzani.shop.1906.jpg

http://www.blue-g.com/luthier_images/kim_walker_4b.jpg

Wine tasting may be a mystery to the average person, and even seem unnecessary, but it is very relevant to the person who has developed an extremely good taste for wine. The slight nuances of the flavor, one way or the other, can change the entire bouquet, and for the connoisseur, potentially ruin an evenings dinner.

We listen to a talented musician playing the Guitar, and we wish we could do that, but we don’t pay attention to the craftsmanship of the Guitar. One sounds like all the rest. But to the talented musician who has an ear for this, they go into the Music store to choose yet another one to add to their collection, and they try them all, looking for the one that has the slightest advantage to it regarding its tone.

A good Sermon is no less a gifted and skilled endeavor.

There are Preachers who open up the Bible and talk for an hour, but most people who go to Church don’t notice anything different from one Preacher to the next. They all sound alike: boring.

But to the connoisseur - the Christian who has spent years in personal Bible study, years of devotion to looking for skilled Preachers, and years of fine tuning an ear for Spiritual things, all Preachers are not alike.

Some have very good public speaking skills; they can take a boring subject and make it interesting, or a very sensitive issue, and not make it so embarrassing, or a very common social issue, and not make it insulting.

They not only have the ability to defend God’s Word, but inspire the listener to rise to the challenge of defending it as well.

Like a fine Wine, or a well crafted Guitar, a good sermon doesn’t just come by accident. The Preacher himself can only preach an excellent sermon when he has been buffeted by the enemy, had his speaking skills honed by criticism, his knowledge of the Bible sharpened by much study, and his compassion and tact made warm and forgiving by years of service to God’s people.

Sadly, like Wine and Music, the best Preachers are not nearly appreciated for their value, like they should be.