I grew up always listening to my parent's complicated wine orders in restaurants. My dad likes a classical white zinfandel while my mom will mix and match between a dry red wine or a dry white wine. I've always watched my parents try fine wines in New Zealand, Australia, the Caribbean, and Europe while I patiently awaited the day I would turn 21. Since my family is from Russia, it's a normal occurrence for my parents to have friends over for appetizers and drinks. While most people think we are big vodka drinkers, every Russian person that's come through our house has sipped on wine, not taken shots of vodka. Often times our family friends bring over different types of wine and every time we fly over to visit friends in Europe or Russia we bring special bottles of wine to them.
After waiting for what seemed like forever, I finally turned 21 and was ready to embark on my wine journey. Unfortunately, it didn't go as planned. Most wines my mom let me try were reds and I was instantly dissatisfied with how bitter and acidic they were. I have had some acid reflux issues my whole life and a lot of bitter red or whites wines have made me feel sick. I've tried riesling wine, merlot, mascato, and white zinfandel but really didn't have great experiences with the more bitter, red wines. Quickly I turned to sweet wines to combat stomach problems and now I'm stuck. My wine taste is currently that of a fifteen year old that likes sweet sodas instead of a more refined, age appropriate wine choices. I will even admit to a time where I put Splenda into a more bitter wine to try to make it sweeter. That's probably something I will shake my head at in 10-15 years but in the moment, I swore it would work.
I think the main thing that's barred me from really trying or liking new wines is the settings I drink wine in. Every time I have been drinking wine, it's usually in a social setting before we go downtown. Usually we are rushed and usually I am playing catch up; aka I am chugging wine. Due to a game called "Slap the bag" where Franzia is passed around to be chugged then slapped at the end, I have never really been a fan of wine. It gives me a stomach ache or a headache and either way, it hasn't really been my alcohol of choice. Mostly I have been drinking cheap white, sweet wine which goes down easy but is more like dessert. I've almost never had wine with food so I haven't really had a true wine experience. While moscato is my favorite, in my travels abroad, I really started like a cheap, dry red wine that's used in the classical Spanish sangria. I can't say for sure that the sweet soda/fruit mix in it makes the red wine taste better but I also have always paired Sangria with some great food so perhaps a nice wine/food pairing could help me switch over to a more refined taste of wine.
The reason that I took this class was because I wanted the opportunity to age my wine knowledge and taste before I go off into the real world. I don't want to be "that" girl when I go out on dates, lunches with clients or friends, or just with my family, and still order the sweetest wine on the menu. I want to be able to try different wines so that one day I can go to a restaurant and know exactly what I want instead of making the waiter give me a overly detailed description of each wine. Since I haven't had much experience with wines, I tend to avoid them altogether when I am going out to eat but I want to change that. I am really intrigued in the wine and cheese or wine and food pairings and I think it could really change my wine world. I tend to categorize myself as a "foodie" and I love different types of cuisine; I think when I become more knowledgable about wine, it could benefit me in my dream of one day becoming a food/travel writer (something you can't really do too much without liking wine). I am excited for this semester and can't wait to find something I like!
