Growing
up with a mother who absolutely adores red wine, one might assume that I,
myself, would be a wine enthusiast. Sadly, however, that is not the case. I was
allowed to have a few sips here and there every once in a while - mostly for my
parents' amusement in watching my mouth pucker and eyes water (mother enjoys
very dry red wines) due to the strong alcohol taste. I swore off wine and never
thought I would ever gain an appreciation for it and/or discover that I, in fact,
do really like wine. I am in no way shape or form even close to being a wine
connoisseur, or a wine-o as I like to refer to, but I am learning types of
wines that I enjoy. Wine has especially peaked my interest since I began
serving at a restaurant here in Blacksburg because I am constantly around it
and obviously need to know about the wines I am selling. Needless to say, my
tips are typically higher with my wine-drinking tables after referring a
certain wine to pair with the dish they ordered. I wish I could say that I know
all about wine, but I only know a tiny bit compared to what I know this class
will teach me.
I have a best friend who also really enjoys wine and she’s
also a red wine lover. My personal opinion is that people who favor red wines
understand wine really well and/or that they have expanded their tastes to
appreciate “better” and more complex wines. I put “better” in quotations
because that is obviously a disputable accusation. Anyways I digress. My best
friend, Kenzie, would always suggest a wine night and I would agree because who
at this age denies a night to drink alcohol, especially if the other person is
buying. She would appease me by buying a less-dry white wine – typically a
Pinot Grigio. Her goal was to get me to start to like dryer white wines so that
she could then introduce me to reds. I can tolerate reds I just haven’t made
that transition yet. She was really amped when I told her I thought Pinot
Grigios were sweet so we moved on to Chardonnays. I mention wanting to be able
to love red wines but some people are red wine people and some people are white
wine people. I think I’m a white wine person.
Some things that I do know about
wine is that typically you would pair a red wine with a red meat: steak or
beef, and a white wine with white meat: chicken. Also, if you’re eating a spicy
dish, a sweet wine is desired to balance the flavors. White wine also pairs
well with seafood and certain pasta dishes. I know more about white wines than
I do red wines when it comes to sweetness and dryness. I know that Mescato is super sweet. I
actually can only have one glass at a time whereas with a Chardonnay I can
drink an entire bottle. From personal experience, I have learned that it’s a
completely different kind of drunk when I drink wine. It makes me feel looser and
my tolerance is completely different with it. I can drink liquor and beer like
a champ but when it comes to drinking wine I’m pretty tipsy after two glasses –
drunk after finishing a whole bottle. This is obviously due to wine having such
a high alcohol content, obviously, it just baffles me how quickly and intensely
it affects me. The hangovers are worse, too.
I wish I knew more about how to recognize tastes in wines
because it’s difficult for me to identify when I sip it. I also would love to
learn more about how to pair wine with food because I could help suggest wine
to my tables and also indulge myself when cooking dinner. I hope that by the
end of this course, I will learn to enjoy red wine more than white wine and to
have an overall better appreciation for this awesome type of alcohol. Teach me
how to be a wine-o.
