Fantasia on The Three Musketeers 1: Aramis Wines
Alexandre Dumas’ adventurous story of ‘The Three Musketeers’
[1] ignited lots of admiration in the teenage me. Aramis, one of Dumas' musketeers, who is really the lesser of the three in terms of swordsmanship, fascinates me in particular with his manly manners through his manifestation ofmercy to the poor, humility, honour, sacrifice, fear of God, faithfulness, courage and, last but not least, his utmost graciousness and courtesy to ladies. It is Aramis’ expertise in loves intrigues and women that earned many a ‘wow’(or rather a ‘yeah’ of the present day) among my then fellow teenage classmates. Well, Aramis may well be just an antiquated womaniser! He was once my idol: everybody has his teen days!
Why the three musketeers are forever gaining money and either spending or losing it at such a rate that they are often down to their last sous before someone comes up with a scheme to get them some more cash so that they can carry on their eating, drinking and dressing in fine clothes? Why good looks, followed in a close second by a fine meal and a good bottle of wine, is everything?
Trying to learn even more the root of the ‘Aramis’, I was curious enough to read the background to Dumas’ The Three Musketeers, especially on the development of the medieval chivalry spirit. Then I touched on once again the quite forgotten story 3 years ago, when I tasted the wines from the Lee Flourentzou of Aramis Winery at the introduction of a former colleague. What a nice surprise!
[1] For anyone who has managed to miss the basic Three Musketeers concept, it is set in 17th century France and tells the story of the three Musketeers Aramis, Athos and Porthos pitting their wits against the scheming Cardinal Richelieu who aims to increase his political influence over King Louis XIII. CardinalRichelieu is intriguing against the beautiful Queen Anne by threatening to expose her affair with England's Duke of Buckingham, to whom she has given a diamond brooch, which is a gift to her from King Louis. Knowing that the king is going to ask her to show it to him at an upcoming court affair, Aramis together with the 2 other musketeers are given the dangerous job of getting the brooch back from Buckingham, who has returned to England. The trio makes its way to the French coast and to England, where it recovers the brooch. After many adventures, Aramis returns it to the queen at the last possible moment, avoiding Louis' wrath and foiling Richelieu's plot.
