As my title would suggest, I have a long and storied history with wine despite being only a few months past 21. The cultural significance of wine has always been an integral part of my family and life. My father's parents and extended family immigrated to the USA in the 1960s and my father was born soon after they arrived. My grandparents and their family had been farmers in Naples, Italy and always grew and made all of their own food... and red wine. My great uncle kept this tradition by opening an Italian restaurant where he made all of his own wine (his specialty was a Zinfandel 😉). As a kid, wine was a necessary household beverage and a staple at family events, especially Christmas. I am not even sure when I first tried wine... my age was probably a single digit. I was always allowed a sip out of my parents glasses, or even my own small glass with a few sips for a toast. As I got into my teen years, red wine and Champagne was available at every family event, allowing me to get better acquainted with alcohol in a safe environment with my family.
I may not remember my first time tasting wine, but I do remember my first time getting drunk from wine. I was around 13 and having dinner with my parents, sister, and a couple of Italian family friends. My sister and I were allowed to drink as much red wine as we pleased, and my parents laughed their heads off as we became louder and more raucous. I ended that night being half carried by my dad to the bathroom so he could hold my hair as I... well you get the point. This... fun first experience was soon followed by a summer trip to Italy at 14, where the waiters would automatically pour me a glass from the bottle my parents ordered... damn did I feel cool and sophisticated 💁. As I got into high school and college, I delved into other alcohols and liquors... but wine will always be number one in my heart 💗.
Now that I am of proper drinking age for the USA, I have developed my own unique taste in wine. My current favorite is a Vouvray from Vignobles Lacheteau. Vouvray is named for the wine region in the Loire Valley, however it is a Trader Joe's exclusive so I am forced to haul my semester's supply from home post-break :(.
I mostly like white wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato, Chardonnay, as well as some sparkling like Champagne and Prosecco. I shy away from red wine most because red teeth stains at a social event? not cute. Also, the sediment... not cute. I tried a few red wines over break from my parent's quirky under the stair cellar that I am forced to crawl into to find and retrieve the oldest wine possible. We used an aerator which I appreciated to keep out the pesky little grains. One that I liked was a Zinfandel called Karma Zin by Carol Shelton. I will need a little more convincing on the red wine front.
As much as I talk about loving wine, the truth is I have no idea what I'm talking about. My main goal for this class is to understand the words I'm saying and be able to describe what I'm tasting. Also, I'm about to graduate and go into that crazy world out there and I definitely want to show off some wine knowledge. Since it's my senior year, all my besties in my major and I are taking this course together as an excuse for weekly wine nights. Expect professional grade photos of labels and some photoshoots on future blog posts... I am so excited!😆
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