I was the successful bidder for a rare Berry Brother's bottled Port that came from the famous Taylor Fladgate Estate, arguably the best producer of this fortified wine in the world. I happily forked over $225 for the bottle and counted myself lucky to pay so little for this gem of wine that easily fetches over $2,000 now.

That bottle of Port slept soundly in the cellar for 10 years while I waited for my wife's 40th birthday.

I had a dinner planned at one of Calgary's finest restaurants, the Ranche in Fish Creek Park. The birthday meal was Dungeness crab and oyster mushroom chowder, followed by Alberta lamb, served up beside a serious Brothers in Arms 1999 Langhorne Creek Shiraz from Australia.

The moment that was 40 years in the making was about to unfold. I ordered three things that weren't on the menu: Stilton cheese, fresh raspberries and lightly roasted walnuts. This would be all we needed to complement the Port.

Our waiter arrived with a tray of our requests and the fully decanted 1963 Taylor Fladgate Port. The wine left a trail of aromas leading to our table — raspberry jam, mint julep and big alcohol nose. It was in perfect shape with a vibrant golden hue that masked a 40-year stint in a bottle.

We took our first sips and our eyes lit up. Port does not get any better than this - and descriptors do not do it justice - but I will forever remember the night, not so much for the great Port, but the woman who I enjoyed it with.

MITCHELL PEPPERTREE SHIRAZ 1998, Clare Valley, Australia It had been wet, cold, windy and otherwise dreary on a July winter day Down Under. In the driving rain I was dropped off at the Mitchell Winery, just another in a long string of Aussie wineries visited over a stretch of 10 days.

Andrew Mitchell thankfully suggested skipping the winery tour and heading to his family cottage to warm up, drink some wine and just chat - which was music to the ears.

The rustic yet homey Mitchell cottage, in the western hills of the Clare Valley, is an inviting retreat for a weary traveller. We were met at the door by Andrew's wife Jane. Inside there were lovely smells coming from the kitchen. Andrew Mitchell started hauling out bottles of his wines and we drank heartily.

The aromas were overwhelming and Jane, thankfully, summoned us to the table where Andrew had found room for another six bottles of wine. A piping hot plate of osso bucco was dropped in front of us. Diving into that heavenly dish of lamb put it all into perspective for when paired with the first wine grabbed off the table.

It was a Mitchell Peppertree Shiraz from the delicious 1998 vintage, a killer shiraz with suppleness and ripeness to go with huge flavours of cherry, plum, blueberries and lavish black pepper crust.

At that moment in time, I couldn't think of a more perfect place to be or a more perfect bottle of wine to share with new friends who had opened up their home to a stranger.

SCREAMING EAGLE NAPA VALLEY CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1995, Calgary, Alberta It was an evening at Calgary's Chophouse, where NHL hockey players and visiting celebrities dig in to juicy Alberta beef matched to the best wine list in the west, which I will never forget thanks to a legendary rock star and a non-stop parade of the world's best wines.

Calgarians paid $250 each to sip Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Stag's Leap Wine Cellars Cask 23, Chateau Margaux, Chateau Haut Brion, Beringer Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Private Reserve, Chateau Latour and Joseph Phelps Insignia Napa Valley.

While that lineup of wines is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it was later, after a few of us retreated to a small private room to experience two wines that are definitely in the Top 5 in the world — Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti 1994 ($3,000 a bottle), the undisputed king of Pinot Noir from Burgundy, and Screaming Eagle Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 1995 ($3,500 but unavailable unless you are on the mailing list), the most sought-after California wine in the world — that was a defining moment for me.

Tasting along side of us was Rush frontman Geddy Lee, a wine lover and collector of fine vino. And while the Romanee Conti was exquisite, it was the Screaming Eagle that stills echoes on my palate to this day with waves of pure strawberry, currants, blue berry, cassis, chocolate and exotic spices.

"This wine is all about power," leader of Canada's greatest rock band declared after gulping down a big sip of Eagle.

A taste of Screaming Eagle with Geddy Lee? It just doesn't get any better than that.

PENFOLDS GRANGE 1998, San Francisco, California Penfolds Grange is easily Australia's greatest wine. The fruit comes from 100-year-old Shiraz vines grown in South Australia. If you can find yourself a bottle it'll set you back about $350. The folks that make Grange spare no expense in promoting the wine. Upon release, wine writers are flown to a different location each year to experience the new vintage.

I can think of no greater place to sip Grange than the wine-friendly city of San Francisco. At a grand reception at the Hamlin School Mansion in the tony Pacific Heights area of the city, Penfolds poured bottle after bottle from its impressive portfolio, working up towards the epitome of its wine program, the Grange.

Winemaker at the time, John Duval, poured the Shiraz into our glasses and the aromas came in waves - blueberry, strawberry and blasts of spicy vanilla. It's a dreamy, concentrated concoction that shows blueberry compote, plums, prunes, dark chocolate and licorice notes that explode on the palate. The 1998 could well prove to be the best Grange ever produced.

So, it was off to dinner at the girls' school mansion overlooking San Francisco Bay. A chef was flown in from Australia to prepare a feast that all led up to the Grange. Seared Australian filet of beef and poached loin of lamb paired with big reds from Penfolds.

But it was the Grange, boldly paired with a selection of Tasmanian cheese that will be forever etched in my mind.

JACOB'S CREEK STEINGARTEN RIESLING BAROSSA 2006, Kangaroo Island, Australia Jacob's Creek Steingarten Riesling Barossa 2006 is not the greatest Riesling I have ever tasted. That distinction goes to Zilliken Riesling 2005 Trockenbeerenauslese #2 ($550 for a half bottle, if you could buy it) - the most extraordinary sweet wine I have ever tasted with candied pears, apricot extract, bracing acidity and pure, heavenly flavours.

But you add a day of fishing on Emu Bay, just off the coast of Australia's Kangaroo Island, some barbecued fresh-caught King George Whiting, a deserted pure white sand beach and a couple bottles of Steingarten Riesling, and a good bottle of wine becomes a memorable wine with a back story that will live forever.

Wine is like that. Good on its own, but even better when paired with a special person, place or meal.

Enjoy! rickwine@hotmail.com

10/09