So far...

As far back as I can remember, the word "Chardonnay" has been a standard part of my vocabulary.  I grew up around wine -- my first memory involving wine is when my siblings and I were much younger and would beg to drink our juice/Gatorade/water out of a wine glass so we could be grown-up like our parents.  My mother's side of the family has always consumed wine at family gatherings, and ever since my stepfather came into the picture, there has usually been a bottle or two open at their house.  There's always been wine paraphernalia around as well:  wine charms, high-tech bottle openers, cool bottle holders, wine stoppers, you name it.

As I've grown older I have learned that Chardonnay is much more than my mother's favorite type of wine; it's a grape varietal, it's a part of France, it's a white wine made all over the world.  I believe it was the first type of wine I tried, a few years ago.  But once I started drinking wine regularly it was mostly sweeter whites (think Moscato or Riesling).  I still prefer whites, but a combination of curiosity, influence from others, and the Wines & Vines class I took last year have turned me on to red wines as well.  (For the record, I am already enjoying this wine class more.)  I'm also partial to dessert wines.  Come to think of it, I can only recall one specific wine that I didn't like, and it was one that I tried during a tasting for Wines & Vines.

For a 22-year-old, I would say I know a small to moderate amount about wine.  There's a ton that I could learn (which is part of the reason I'm taking this class).  I know a little bit about pairing, storing, tasting, and growing, but I'm pretty sure if I took wine courses for the rest of my life I still wouldn't know everything about the beverage.  And that's a wonderful thing!

At this point in my life I like to drink wine with food, without food, to relax and wind down, to enjoy a beverage with friends, to try a new type, to revisit an older favorite... many reasons, really.  I am really looking forward to the education (both hands-on and theoretical) that this class will provide.

So, let's begin!