Fifi Goes Zozo
TASTING NOTES: “Delicate yet layered, the 2022 vintage opens with dried red fruits, toasted spice, and a subtle nutty undertone. The palate is light and supple, with fine pleasing tannins and a grip on the back end that draws out flavors of cranberry, clove, and cherry skin. A restrained structure and gentle finish reflect the elegance of a cool growing season.” (AbV 14.1%, pH 3.61)
VARIETALS: Pinot Noir
BARRELS: Not specified.
PAIRS WITH: N/A
THAT REMINDS ME OF: “Curious,” the name of this wine.
The name sends me straight to Curious George, and the real story behind him is wilder than anything the Man in the Yellow Hat ever got into. H.A. and Margret Rey were German-Jewish illustrators living in Paris in June 1940, just as the Nazis closed in. They escaped on bicycles they’d assembled from spare parts, with manuscripts stuffed in their bags, including the one about a mischievous monkey who was then named Fifi. They made it out through France, then Spain and Portugal, and eventually to New York. The book came out in 1941.
I want to know more about the bike-building. Somewhere in occupied Paris, two people with a deadline of “now” put together working bicycles from parts, and one of the things they were determined to save was a children’s book about a monkey who gets into trouble and never faces real consequences. I find that a beautiful use of luggage space.
There’s a footnote I love. In British editions, George was renamed Zozo, because the reigning king was George VI and a monkey sharing his name was apparently a risk nobody wanted. The monkey’s curiosity outlasted the Nazis and the rebrand, and he’s still causing chaos in 1,000-piece puzzle form.
