Introduction

I am very excited to take this wine course. I have never been too versed in the language or selection of wine. Growing up, my father did not drink and my mother only occasionally. When she did, it was usually wine with dinner or a beer at the beach. I have enjoyed wine, but am generally pretty lost when it comes to picking it out in a liquor store or at a restaurant. My uncle owns a winery in Chile called Terra Noble. When I see Terra Noble in a liquor store I make sure to buy it. But besides that, I usually go off of reccomendations of the workers there and try to stay within a reasonable college budget. Lacking a real knowledge of wine selections, it is hard for me to justify spending more than twenty or twenty-five dollars when I am not sure what I am picking.

I think it is interesting that one category of beverage has so many varieties and is so widespread. Coffee is equally as popular, but rarely do you see people putting a whole lot of thought into their materials or how they will enjoy it other than hot versus cold. To me, it is just another category of relevant information that one can learn about. At any depth, the world of wine can and should be explored for no other reason than the goal of learning.

            I would like to know more about my tastes and what I enjoy in wines. To have a better idea of this would set me up for when I am at dinner or getting a bottle to share with friends over any meal. Learning the culture of viticulture and viniculture would be interesting as well, but mostly I am trying to get a better idea of navigating a wine list.