My first taste of wine occurred at a vineyard atop the beautiful, green, rolling hills of Vienna, Austria. I figured if I was going to learn to like wine, what better place to start than this? My mom walked over to me with a glass full of a golden drink, smiled at me and commented that this is as good as it gets. I took it from her, put it to my lips, and took a generous sip.
"BLEGH!!"
My older sister burst out laughing as I promptly spit it into the bushes. It was clearly not what I expected, which, to be honest, was something along the lines of ginger ale. The alcohol stung my tongue as I thought, I have a long way to go.
During my adventures in Austria, I gave white wine several more chances. While I made it to the point of actually swallowing, my reactions to it continued to be like the first. I resigned myself to thinking I'd never learn to like wine.
Fast forward several years later, and I found myself at a fancy spa as a gift from my boyfriend. Fancy enough for them to offer me--free wine! They asked me what type I would like, and having no idea about anything, I asked them to pick one for me. As a result, they brought me a glass of red. Throughout the day, I sipped at the wine, mostly to be polite. While I still did not favor the initial taste of it, I noticed it had a surprisingly pleasant aftertaste. During my pedicure, which was my last treatment of the day, I resolved to finishing that fancy glass of wine. And finish it I did!
After that day at the spa, I had a craving for the taste I got after tolerating the initial sips of that red wine. And that is how I learned to like wine!
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Nowadays, my roommates and I enjoy a bottle of wine when we cook meals together or when entertaining. I generally favor the reds with food, although I'm no expert on food pairings (yet!). On nights when we stay in, we also like to break out a bottle of sweet white wine while watching TV. I will also usually order a glass of red when out to dinner with the boyfriend (although he likes ordering the bottle and taking it home after). I would be more specific than "red" and "white", but as I don't yet know the various types and regions of wine, I'm afraid I don't remember the majority of them!
A couple I do remember and have recorded for future buying purposes:
- Pinot Noir Cavit, Italy (red)
- Red Cat (red)
- Moscato Castillo del Poggio (white)
I greatly enjoy similar red wines to the Pinot Noir Cavit, Italy with meals, usually pasta dishes. The Red Cat and Moscato Castillo del Poggio are on the sweet side and are delicious by themselves.
What I hope to gain from Geography of Wine is definitely the main types of red and white wine so I know what I'm drinking! I would like to be experienced with wine enough by the end to know the difference between a cheap and a well-crafted wine. Ultimately, I would love to be able to pair wines with food, especially since I currently enjoy wine the most with meals. I would like to be well-versed enough with wine to be able to converse with my future bosses and coworkers. :) Needless to say, I am definitely looking forward to learning all about wine!
For your viewing pleasure, my background image is from one of the vineyards I visited in Austria. Below is a courtyard garden at a restaurant downhill from the vineyard where we had lunch, with the local wine of course! They are common in Austria.
