My Experience with Wine: Blog Post #1

    I've always been a huge fan of wine, but my adoration for it has skyrocketed in the last couple years. I would go so far as to consider myself a bit of a fanatic now-- so much so that for my twenty-first birthday I was gifted a very nice 8 bottle wine collection by my mother and father. I believe that wine is the best beverage on Earth and there's no drink I would rather have with a meal. I'll explain how my passion for wine was born and how its grown.

    My family likes to travel a couple times a year, most often to Spain, but also to France and Italy, and in our travels I was lucky enough to become acquainted with a variety of quality wines. It was during these travels, and through trial and error, did I begin to develop an identity of the types of wine that I like to drink. However, there was an "Eureka" type of moment that occurred for me, an exact moment when it all clicked and I tasted my favorite wine I had ever had up until that point. It was June 17, 2022 and my family and I were dining at the legendary restaurant El Celler de Can Roca in Girona, Spain. The sommelier brought over a Sauvignon Blanc from the Costers del Segre region of Spain. It was aptly named "Taleia" from the vineyard Castell d'Encus. From the first sip my entire perspective on every wine I'd had up until that point was altered. Never had I sipped something so sharp, minerally, and citrusy in the best possible way. In addition, shows like Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown/No Reservations and Action Bronson's F that's Delicious have also helped to foster my love for wine. 

    I don't have anything specifically that I want to learn, I just love wine and thought this class sounded incredibly interesting. I'm a CMDA major and I've never really had an opportunity to take many classes that aren't related to math or computer science-- this class seemed like a very welcome break. I think this class will be a great experience to help me further grow the basic wine skills I've developed myself. Additionally, I'm very excited to be visiting the storied wine regions of La Rioja in Spain and Bordeaux in France. I'm hoping I'll be able to exercise some of my wine knowledge I'll gain this semester. 

                                                            Pictured above: My dad and I