Creating poetry in the prose of life

'When we share - that is poetry in the prose of life.'

- Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)

A BEAUTIFUL thought, and so simply expressed. When We Share. It does not really matter what. Whatever we have that others need or will also enjoy. Money, food and, of course, wine.

One would have to be truly a miser or hermit who drinks a bottle of wine all by himself or herself. Or who has no friends or friends he cares to share his wines with. The beauty of even the most beautiful wine is more than doubled when shared with friends, when it encourages exchange of thoughts and ideas, and reinforces the friendships.

It has been some time since Italian wines were featured in this column. So when last night an old friend from Jakarta phoned to tell us he had just got in and had no plans for dinner, I invited him to join me as I was propitiously dining alone at home. It would also give me a good reason for opening the bottle I had found earlier in the day when browsing through the cellar, Barolo "Zonchera" 1985, Ceretto, a well-known and reliable producer, and a very good vintage…