What’s In A Name?

“Bruliam” is an amalgamation of our three kids’ names.  Our tag line, “wine is elemental,” is a play on “Bruliam’s” sounding so much like Polonium or Cadmium, elements on the periodic table.  But as it turns out, the words “wine is elemental” pretty well summarize our personal philosophy about wine.  We drink wine with dinner nearly everyday (sometimes even before dinner, but that is another story).  We took wine to the hospital when our kids were born.  Drops of wine from our pinky fingers were the first thing they tasted, even before I started nursing.  We drink mediocre wine and great wine; in a pinch, we drink boxed wine.  We constantly taste test new wineries and grape varietals we’ve never heard of before.  Enjoying wine and food is simply part of our daily routine.

While reading Marq de Villiers’ The Heartbreak Grape, A California Winemaker’s Search for the Perfect Pinot Noir, I came across a passage that perfectly captures our “wine is elemental” philosophy.  He says, “The vine, I thought, might be humble, but wine is not humble at all.  Wine has almost infinite variety and complexity, an ability at once to surprise and overwhelm the most sophisticated palate and to give simple pleasure to millions of people.  Wine is international, virtually universal, with a history almost as old as man, with its own litany and lore, with its own poetics of sensation, with its own rituals …and craft.”

Cheers!