An Intro to this Wine Blog...

Hello! Welcome to my wine blog!

With only a few days of this course under my belt, it's safe to say that I will learn A LOT, and for that, I'm entirely grateful. I took this course with the intention of learning about a beverage that I have been and probably always will be surrounded by. My mother and her entire family are Italian, and I grew up trying wine at every family gathering and dreading the bitterness, and then having to take a sip of some champagne on New Year's Eve for good luck, which was only a bit more tolerable as a kid. These gatherings would also start out with an introduction of whatever wine the guests brought, which was never decipherable even if I tried. So, in short, my family members know a lot about wine, and I'm eager to enter the stage of my life where I can join the conversation! 

Regarding experiences and preferences, I have a strong inclination towards reds and have little experience with whites. I blame my family for this, as there were always more reds brought to gatherings than whites. I've also discovered that this is an odd preference for a 21-year-old to have, as during the few times I've been to Wine Lab with friends, I'm in the minority when it comes to ordering a glass of red. But, when it comes to the kind of red, I haven't figured out a preference. It wasn't until I visited the Wine Lab that I was able to read the vast descriptions of wines and their flavors and contents, as these were always words in conversations I didn't listen to at family dinners. 

When it comes to drinking and enjoying wine outside of a restaurant setting, the only experiences I can share are sitting around with my roommates watching movies, and drinking very sugary sweet Sangria, so it's safe to say I need to expand my palette... a lot. In this class, I'm eager to learn about what makes wine so unique and what makes it such a language and cultural symbol for so many people around the world. I definitely want to try different kinds and know what names mean, and also find some good brands that I can count on. Also, I want to explore the white wine world and see what it's all about and what I'm supposedly missing out on. All in all, I'd like to expand my tastes and find out what my preferences are not only regarding flavor, but also regarding location or variety. 

That's about it! I'm excited to get started and get drinking, and see what new experiences come out of taking this course!

Me, in summer 2022