My effort to learn more about wine kicked off in late 2009,
when I joined a group of friends in starting a wine tasting group. There were
12 households in the group, with most of us starting in the same place as wine
novices. Our goal was to learn the fine points of wine tasting, in a safe
environment where no one would feel silly for their lack of knowledge. We still
meet, although the group’s members have changed a bit over time. Each month we
meet in a different home, and the host and/or hostess present six wines to the
group. Some people choose a theme (celebrity wines, perhaps). Others choose wines
from a particular region, or serve all one varietal.
As I tried to decide which theme or wines to include at my
wine tasting, I realized that there were a handful of wines I could bring
readily to mind. Most of these had a
particular memory or story attached to them. Thus, the theme for the wine tasting
night became the unoriginal “Wines I Like”.
Each of the wines served was accompanied by the story or memory it
invoked. With apologies in advance to the vineyards and wineries (and, in some cases, people) for my rather silly associations:
- A low priced, but tasty, red wine that I first drank at a friend’s wedding. This friend is now married to my ex-husband. But I’m not bitter! Really! (People may not remember the name of that wine, but they sure remember the story associated with it. We call it the “but I’m not bitter wine". LOL) Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages
- A waitress-recommended Merlot that a friend and I were served at dinner on the way to a concert. The concert turned out to be laugh-out-loud bad, featuring a famous 70s band that played off key and forgot their own lyrics. We still joke about that night, and agree that the Sterling Vintner’s Collection Merlot was the highlight of the evening.
- The wine brand that I remember by associating their name with frozen chicken pot pies. When deciding to purchase that wine, my thought process goes something like this: “Uhhh… the pot pie maker… starts with an ‘S’… no, it isn’t Stouffer’s… Swanson? Yeah, Swanson Sangiovese!”
- My all-time favorite: Stag’s Leap Arcadia Vineyard Chardonnay. No funny story here. Just a great, full bodied, buttery chardonnay. The wine that got me interested in wine.
- A zesty zinfandel that I remember the name of by singing the song “Wild Thing” in my head. Carol Shelton’s Wild Thing Zinfandel. (Which,by the way, comes in an atractive bottle.)
- The “Oops! I drank the two bottles that I bought for my mother!” Elio Perrone Sourgal 2011 Moscato d’Asti.
