My current favorite glass of wine

When people find out what I do, I often get asked "Oooh... what is your favorite wine?"

I hate this question. But I've always hated the favorite question. I can never pick a favorite movie, or favorite song, or favorite food. With a world of such diverse and endless opportunities, it baffles me that anyone can pick an ultimate favorite of anything. But every once and a while I end up having current favorites - a movie that I watch over and over or a dish that I keep going back for - and right now my current favorite wine is the Michel Picard Sancerre that they pour by the glass at Elite Cafe.

My friend Jason lives just around the corner from Elite, and it has been a favorite spot of his for years. I had been there before - a brunch on one visit, Thanksgiving dinner on another - and once I moved to San Francisco, this place cemented itself on my list of favorite places. Jason, his boyfriend, my roommate and I have started going there so much that we are becoming friends with the staff, and have graduated to the level of receiving freebies from our favorite bartender. Last week when we were bestowed the order of deviled eggs, I almost teared up.

So they serve this great Sancerre by the glass, and I've slipped into the habit of ordering it automatically upon sliding into the comfy bar stools. The sauvignon blanc is crisp and acidic, and it works with the oysters that almost always end up on our table. It's not life changing or anything. It's just a solid, good little wine that I always drink while surrounded by three of my favorite people in the world.

And for me, that's what makes a favorite. It's not the minutiae of tasting notes, or the pedigree of the grapes - it's the pleasure that occurs all around you while drinking it.