But since she released her first album, “19,” in 2008, she’s been at my side through the ups and downs of my 20s and now, 30s.
Her third album, “25,” dropped a few years after I graduated university — I was in the throes of my first real job, yet struggling personally, a confusing period of quarter-life crisis and existential angst.
Amidst those heady, confusing years of young adulthood, an Adele album was an invitation to pop open a bottle of wine, alone or with friends.
But if “25” found me drinking a bottle of wine to drown my tears, “30” is a sensible single glass and a walk in the park as the sun fades to gather my thoughts and clear my head.
I’m personally gearing up to enjoy a long bath with a glass of red with my bestie, because the wine writer in me can’t help but pair her latest album with a beverage.
“Easy on Me”: The power of Adele’s voice on this, the album’s first single, echo her other hits “Someone Like You” and “Hello” — a reminder of her control, range and depth as a singer.
Or option B: A nonalcoholic wine-adjacent drink, like Acid League’s Wine Proxies, which give my hands something to do but I can remain clear-headed about my life choices without spiraling.
“Cry your heart out, clean your face,” indeed! This poppy number requires something matching its energy, like Lunar hard seltzer’s yuzu flavor.
“Oh My God and Can I Get It”: The mid-album mood boosters continue with two songs about letting oneself enjoy new love and also seek something beyond the casual.
This song, which she told Vogue was about shedding her ego is fresh and straightforward, with tropical notes of unripe mango and the crisp finish you’d expect from the region’s traditionally made cool climate wines.
“All Night Parking” : A song about “the intoxicating feeling of falling for someone new,” according to Rolling Stone, “All Night Parking” is best paired with an easy-drinking, “don’t have to think too hard about” red, like Pas de Probleme’s pinot noir.
Or maybe mezcal, like Dock Street Spirit’s Vicio mezcal — mixed as a negroni, it’s got the bitter bite to maybe forget that Adele took you out like that.
In that spirit, call your pals for a listening party and bring out the big guns, namely Schplink’s 3-liter boxed gruner veltliner, full of bracing acidity and lemon notes.
“To Be Loved” and “Love Is a Game”: The last two songs are two sides of a love coin: The emotional turmoil and strain of deciding to leave a relationship against the whimsical, swoony headiness of new love on the horizon.