Getting to Know My Wine Experience

Hello all! This entry marks my first blog, as well as the beginning of my wine tasting career. Though I am currently a college student with ample alcohol experience, I have very limited wine experience. I do consider myself somewhat of a beer aficionado, but have not quite developed a taste for sipping liquor and spirits.

My first beer was an Amstel Light, a respectable first beer. I have gotten more diversified with my experiences with beer over the last four years. My favorite right now would have to be Nagra Modelo. A full bodied beer that is not overly hoppy or bitter. I also enjoy many wheat beers and seasonal beers. The addition of a pumpkin spice or an allspice in the fall, or a brown cinnamon sugar in the winter can help the taste of a beer fit the weather. I have not yet developed a taste for Indian Pale Ales, as they are too bitter for me. I do understand that many of the best beers are strong like IPA's, and look forward to developing a taste for them.

It took several years for me to develop a taste for wine. My Mom has a glass of wine with dinner almost every night, so I had tried some of hers when I was relatively young. I did not like the taste of her wine, especially since she had (and still has) a very developed palate for wine. Many of her wines are dry reds and whites, while I prefer a sweet fruity wine at this stage. Currently I only drink about 1 or two bottles  of wine per month.

My first true wine tasting was in the fall of 2012 when I went to Chateau Morrisette with my Mom. I was nervous to try the red wines that were on the tasting list because I tend to not like reds. Once we were there, I found many of the wines to be very light and not too dry. This was perfect for me. To my surprise my two favorite wines on that trip were both reds: the 2010 Chambourcin and 2009 Merlot.

I have always had a desire to understand wines. I have wanted to know how to taste them, how to describe the taste, and how to buy other wines based on what I know about what I like to drink. This blog is the first of many that will soon delve into more wine tasting experience as it happens. I plan to do weekly tastings, and describe the wines as best I can, while also developing my palate. Thanks for reading!