Many people I've spoken with about wine can remember being young and their parent letting them taste a drop from their finger or even a small sip from the glass. They often say that the reason was to deter the child from drinking alcohol prior to reaching the legal age as the wine would seem bitter to most young children. Those individuals now say that wine is not as bitter to them anymore and that some types are even sweet tasting. My parent never let me try sips of any alcoholic beverages growing up (which is definitely not a bad thing), but I feel like it did stunt my growth into the world of college drinking. I remember that the first wine I had was a pink Moscato in the floor of my friend's dorm room when I was 20 years old. I was unable to drink much of it because I kept getting strong whiffs of alcohol whenever I went in for a drink and I found the taste to be unpleasantly bitter despite being labelled as a sweet wine.
Fast forward to when I was 22 (I didn't have many wine encounters while I was 21, thanks to COVID-19) when I went to a local place, called Iron Heart Winery, and found the first wine that I actually kinda liked. It was a blended sangria, between pink and orange in color, that was a product of how rough the 2020 wine production season was for small, local wineries which was appropriately named "Cluster F*&!." It was not too bitter and not too sweet, but it most importantly did not have the overpowering scent of alcohol that plagued so many of the wines I had tried before. From there, I began experimenting by tasting all sorts of wines whenever I went to a winery with friends or social events. I have found that I prefer white wines on the sweeter side; although, I do not have much experience with dry white wines. I have not found any red wines that I have enjoyed, but I did enjoy many of the pink wines that I have tried. I even once had the opportunity to try a high-end champagne (Moet & Chandon) which I thought was decent when sipped slowly throughout the evening. My favorite wine so far has been a sweet white Riesling that I got from Abingdon Vineyards in Abingdon, VA.
From this class, I hope to gain an appreciation and, hopefully, a taste for many different types of wine. So far, I have enjoyed learning about the different contexts of studying wine as well as the history of the beverage. I want to learn the most about cheese and meal pairings with wines. I would also like to learn about what to expect from a bottle as I still find myself turned away by the pungent smell of alcohol as I go for a sip. I am very excited to be taking this course, and I can't wait to start sipping!
