What wine pairs with whales?

Last night, Mr. Vino asked me: "What wine pairs with whale?" No, we haven't discovered a VERY unusual sushi. We spent an absolutely perfect Central Coast evening watching whales from our Pismo Beach balcony.

Memorial Day is typically the time the Humpback whales come back into San Luis Bay with their babies on their way to Alaska to feed. According to Cal Poly's Marine Biology department, an unusually strong wind event in April, combined with a short spell of very warm weather in May created an unusual upwelling along our coast. The result is that cold nutrient-rich water was brought to the surface, providing a fantastic buffet meal for marine plankton. When the plankton are happy, the anchovies are happy. When the anchovies are happy, the Humpbacks are happy. When the Humpbacks are happy, they dance and play in the bay waters, making Mr. & Mrs. Vino very happy!

OK, dance and play is a total anthropomorphism. When the Humpbacks breach, it's actually a feeding behavior. But watching these incredible giants of the ocean slap the water with their flippers and their flukes, and leap out of the ocean, getting 85% of their 40-ton bulk out of the water--well, I think we can be forgiven the "play" metaphor.

When the whales come to the surface, they exhale. Mr. Vino calls this a whale puff. It is, in every way, better than a crab puff (and Mrs. Vino LOVES crab puffs). And I just can't help the fact that watching a Humpback slap a 12 foot long flipper against the water looks an awful lot like a friendly wave and an invitation to come play!

It's a humbling experience to sit on your balcony at sunset watching a mother Humpback in a side-by-side breach with her baby. At sunset, the light turns the whales' bellies molten gold. The spray from the breach is like liquid light. Watching momma and baby is such an incredible reminder that we are stewards of this planet and this ocean, not owners.

Ultimately, we discovered that the best wine to pair with whales is . . . any wine. I enjoyed a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio. David sipped on Sangiovese. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon and the sky turned fuschia, then gray, then blue; the whales went back to the ocean bed to sleep. Mr. Vino and I were moved to a spontaneous standing ovation for an incredible performance.

Learn more about our incredible Humpback Whales at the Cetacean Society:
http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/humpback.htm