The experience of wine is one that I have far from considered delving into, due to the many social stigmas surrounding it. Despite the social associations and influence of drinking alcohols such as wine, I have personally associated it time and time again with that of "snobbery" or "pretentiousness" that you would see in a movie that pokes fun of such a hobby. Even now since starting college and reaching my senior year, with a car, a little money, and all the opportunity in the world, I never considered going to a wine store or even the supermarket, and picking up a cheap wine for fun. It was just something I never thought to try, what with the abundance of expectation to partake of the hundreds of other beers and liquors that I could have, or even should have, as an alternative. But do I hate wine? Of course not.
One of the first sips of an alcoholic beverage I had ever had, was when I believe I was about 10 years old. It wasn't through my asking, or the mischievous action of a relative who though to make me try it though, instead, it was an accident. Sometimes, when you are really thirsty after a long day of walking around with 10 year old legs, and you reach home absolutely parched, you would perhaps be begging for the sweet relief of a drink to wet your throat, which resembled at the time a barren desert. Of course, upon entering your house and spying what appeared to be a wonderful glass of cranberry juice, you would run to it, and giddily drink it all without thinking. Or maybe you wouldn't do that, but at 10 years old, I didn't much think about it and drank 3 full gulps of what I assumed to be juice, before my panicked parents quickly ripped away what I later learned was a full glass of Merlot, which my mother had left out by accident unfinished since she didn't much like it.
Beyond my first experience which become a funny story in my family, I have had a number of tastes of the wines my parents have opened, especially as I crossed the wonderful boundary of 21, into the world of alcohol. As I tasted more, I learned a couple things about wine that has given me prospects to think about when it came to eventually purchase my own bottle. Firstly, I prefer red wines generally speaking over whites, although I always enjoy the champagne that my father purchases for New Years. I think the room temperature preparation of reds allow a fuller taste and it is also easier to simply let sit then find space in the fridge like you need to for whites to match the same experience. Furthermore, sweeter wines tend to give me more to enjoy then dry wines, which also is another reason for me to enjoy reds since I never know what is dry or not anyway, so its easier to just look only at the red wines. However, my experience, is still lacking as I really only drink wine, around family and in certain scenarios like family gatherings, parties, or the like. Since crossing the boundary of 21, I have had pitifully little experience when it comes to the experience of wine and I hope to change that.
I don't hate wine. On the contrary, I actually enjoy it far more than beer but I always assumed the societal expectations of drinking wine comes with the caveat that you can only drink it in social situations and nowadays, every social function I go to has beer instead so I found myself not experiencing any. I believe this course will change that. I am excited to learn more about the differences between the grape varieties, and most importantly the food pairings that match these drinks because at least then, will I be able to break the preconceived notion that wine is pretentious. Though, I will absolutely use it to make fun of my friends and family because playful banter is fantastic at creating a comforting mood out of any environment and that is something that I can definitely learn from wine.
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