Fiction Friday: The Wine Tasting

The RWH prompt from Write on Edge: In four hundred words or less, write a fiction piece based on a definition of the word “flavor.”

I’m not sure I totally got this prompt right, but I had lots of fun writing it. Thanks to Cameron for suggesting it:~)

“Class, swirl your wine and sniff it.” Mattie’s voice was so serious, Harrison almost laughed.

Usually, Mattie was the one laughing, but this was the final test for her Wine Educator Certificate. He was here to give her moral support.

Harrison swirled his wine. The woman beside him followed his example, but spilled wine down her shirt.

She giggled. “Oops, my bad!”

Mattie sighed. Harrison handed the woman his handkerchief, noticing her twinkly green eyes.

“Who wants to tell us what they smell?” Mattie asked.

The woman with the stained shirt waved her hand. “I’ll try!”

Mattie looked wary, but no one else volunteered. “Okay, Lilly, what do you smell?”

Lilly sniffed. The wine went up her nose. She sneezed. Red wine flew everywhere. People ducked. Harrison laughed out loud; he couldn’t help himself.

Lilly lifted her glass. “Sorry! It went up my nose. Let me try again.” Mattie stopped her.

“That’s okay, Lilly! Let’s taste our wine now.”

After everyone had a taste, Mattie asked Harrison, “What flavors do you taste in the wine, sir?

He swirled the wine in his mouth and spit it out. “I think I taste blackberries, a hint of vanilla and maybe…chocolate?”  He made his voice uncertain.

“You’ve got a good palate!” Mattie acted like he’d won a prize. Both knew he had more than a good palate! After all, he was a Master Sommelier.

“It tastes like wine to me, but it’s good!” Lilly put her glass down with a clunk. Red wine spilled again.

Mattie glared at Lilly, but didn’t say anything.

The class progressed. Lilly spilled more wine. She laughed at her klutziness. Harrison liked her ease with herself; she wasn’t pretentious, kind of like his favorite Pinot Noir.

As Mattie enthused about the flavors of wine, all Harrison wanted was to taste the flavors of Lilly. Breathing in her smell – jasmine, citrus, with a hint of deodorant – he watched her sip her wine. Heat rose in his face thinking about tasting her full red lips.

She left early, disappointing Harrison. But when he stepped outside, she was waiting wearing a sexy grin.

He discovered she was also a Sommelier, but hired to test Mattie’s ability to handle difficult students. Mattie passed, just barely.

Later that night over a bottle of wine, Harrison leaned over, kissed Lilly and said, “Hmmm. Sweet, slightly salty with just a hint of an excellent Pinot.

Tagged as: Fiction, flavor, flavors, red writing hood, wine tasting, write on edge