An Introduction

Hello, and welcome to my first blog post all about wine. My goal is to answer your questions – kind of an “everything you felt you should already know but don’t.” I’ve talked with so many people who say they feel like there’s this expectation that if you enjoy drinking wine you should be knowledgeable about it. So people start feeling bad when they don’t know about how wine is made, or where certain wines come from, or specific terminology. If you’re one of those people, please understand this: you’re not expected to know anything. Really. We all need to start somewhere. And this is going to be a good place for you to start learning.

I’m going to break things down as much as I can to make it easy to understand for those of you who are new to wine while providing some additional insight for those who’ve already got the basics down. And then sometimes I’ll get in the weeds for those of you who like to get a little more wonky about wine.

A little about me…

I’m a wine geek…totally proud of my wine dorkery. I love to drink wine, talk about it, learn about it. And that’s one thing I’ve learned over the years – that as much as we know about wine, there’s always more to learn. Our wine education is never done.

Speaking of education, I’m a Certified Specialist of Wine through the Society of Wine Educators of America, hold a Level 2 Award in Wine from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust, and I’m one course away from earning a Certificate in Wine Business Management from Sonoma State University. Am I a sommelier? Simple answer: No. (More on the complicated answer in a future post.)

I’ve loved all of my classes on the various wine regions (their history, geography, climate, grape varieties), viticulture and production techniques, labeling laws, wine marketing, you name it! But the most fun I’ve had is exploring and tasting as many different wines with my friends as I can. And I say tasting, because the majority of the wines I’ve tried have truly been tasting and spitting rather than drinking. (Although as I write this, I’m drinking – and rather enjoying – a wonderful red blend from Spain.)

Why am I publishing this blog? It’s pretty simple. I’ve found that the more I’ve learned about wine, the more I’ve enjoyed tasting (and drinking) it. And while I’ve run the risk of being that annoying guy who talks about wine too much at dinner parties, my friends have liked the extra info and insight I give when we open a bottle. So if you’re like me – and you probably wouldn’t have gotten this far if you’re not – you know that learning more is always a good thing. This blog, for the most part, is going to be for beginners, but every now and then I’ll give you oenophiles a “Wine Dorkery Alert!” when I’m going to go further.

I think of wine as a participation sport. So I want your participation in this blog. Feel free to email me your questions (on the Contact page) and I’ll put them in future posts. Let’s have a conversation.

I’ve found that the grape growing and wine production methods affect how a wine tastes. But when, where, and with whom you drink affects how much you enjoy it.  So share this blog with a friend or two, open a bottle, and enjoy!