As a 22 year old Catholic, yes, I
have tried wine. My first sip of Jesus
was probably age 7, around the time of my First Communion. My high school best friend had Italian
parents that made their own wine. A
lot. I don’t think it was very good, but
it was my first experience with bottles, not just sips from the gold cup on
Sundays. It was red and alcoholic, but that’s
about all we knew. And that really suited our tastes at the time. My family’s alcohol preference is always wine,
but in high school if I was going to get alcohol, it was either free wine from friend’s
basement, or something a little higher proof.
Since reaching college, I would like to think my wine experience has
grown. Tour de Franzia aside, exclusive wine
nights with friends turned wine into a beverage consumed during casual get-togethers. Over the past few years I have sampled wines
at family gatherings, talked to aunts about their wine preferences. My grandmother jokes that she will be buried
with a bottle of White Zinfandel in her hand.
Not my taste, but I do love her.
I was fortunate enough this summer
to work in Italy. Wine there can be cheaper
than water, but I have no idea what I was drinking most of the time. I just chose nice labels that had maybe a few
words I recognized. I was able to visit
a winery, Principe Pallavinci, which was beautiful. We spoke to a kind man whose English/Italian
taught us a bit about the winery. I wish
I was more fluent so I would have been able to understand it all. We sampled more of their wines, and had an
awesome afternoon. I also made friends
with enough Italians that dinners at their houses allowed me to sample more
wines chosen for quality, not just label design.
I usually have a bottle on hand at
my apartment, selected mostly by price per ounce. Prior to my Italian summer, I would have said
I prefer white wines. I had a gewürztraminer
a few years ago that I enjoyed, and since then have bought a bottle of it every
time I see it in stores. Since then, I have definitely fallen for
reds. Merlot is probably my most
purchased beverage, followed by a Cabernet Sauvignon. My family drinks too much Cab Sav, but if
they have a bottle I’ve enjoyed, I’ll try to find it here in Blacksburg.
I hope to learn how to select wine,
especially when pairing with food. I was
a vegetarian for just about all of my life, but have recently introduced some
meat into my diet. Learning to pair wine
and cook a wider array of meals could work nicely hand in hand. I hope to be able to learn to taste wine,
especially sipping something and maybe being able to determine something other
than sweet or dry. I love learning about
history and culture, so would not at all mind an overview on the wine history
and why regions produce certain wines. Overall,
I am excited for this semester, and I can't wait to begin!
