Randy Olsen at the National Geographic Society

I had the esteemed pleasure of hearing Randy Olson's lecture on his work this past Friday at the National Geographic Society in Washington DC. For those unfamiliar with Randy Olsen, he is a social photo-journalist with NGS, who quite frankly, takes phenomenal photos of humanity in all its forms. Not only was I treated to his amazing photos and his fantastic commentary (we all plagued the poor man during the reception), but the reception featured a wine I had nearly forgotten, La Créma's deliciously creamy chardonnay. For those of us on a budget (myself included), might I suggest this wine?

For $18 dollars, this chardonnay exhibits a vibrant bouquet with citrus and apricot notes. On the palate it is warm and creamy, with buttercream, honey, and pear flavors creating a rich fullness in the mouth. It finishes smoothly with caramel undertones. For ease of consumption and price, this is often the wine I choose to serve. Pair it with pastas and light fare.

As for Randy Olson, I highly suggest you look up his work. He's a reluctant speaker, but once he gets going, there's a whole wealth of knowledge there. I managed to get him talking about how different cultures interact with strangers. He related an experience where he stood outside of a home in Turkey, and was fed, whereas if he had tried that here in DC, he would have conversely gone hungry. I wonder sometimes if our culture eliminates the enjoyment of humanity; we sprint between job and home without enjoy the great farce that is the human race. We hurry about our lives without giving notice to our neighbors or those around us. A few months ago, a great violinist played inside of a metro stop here in DC. Very few noticed the beauty resonating from his instrument; they needed to get to work. Perhaps we all need to slow down.

But I digress, in the spirit of this piece... slow down... drink more wine.