Do you remember your very first encounter with wine? Now I'm not talking about the first time you sipped on a neon colored malt based beverage that disguised itself as "wine", and contained a sugar content that blasted through the roof. I'm talking about the first time you experienced the real thing. More than that, can you remember the first time that wine tasted more than just, well, wine?
I started drinking wine when I was, yes I'll admit it, under the age of legal drinking. I was relatively close, give or take a few years. Whether or not I was a serious wino, I enjoyed the nectar even at a young age. There was something about it that spoke to me. I would read the back labels on bottles and stick my nose in the glass thirsting for those supposed fruits and berries that claimed to be in the wine. "Ripe melon and caramel- coated green apples with a twist of tropical fruit hit the nose with flavors of butter and lemon sorbet that linger on into the finish". Every now and then I might get a pineapple or a blueberry, but usually I would just pick up on alcohol.
I was 21, sitting in a small wine bar having a late lunch and picking and choosing from an elaborately eclectic wine list that served everything by the glass, as well as by the taste pour- and that is where it is all at, my friends. I was like a kid in a candy store, and obviously I was not going to be the one that was handed the bill after the end of our time in the establishment. I wanted to try anything and everything that I have never heard of before. Anything that said Cabernet Sauvignon or Chardonnay was off my list for the afternoon. Ooh, a Malbec from Argentina. A Verdejo from Spain. A Super Tuscan? Give me that! My last taste, I remember, was from Leal Vineyards- "Carnaval" 2003. It was a Meritage, whatever that meant, and the description read "The Shiz-net". It was indeed that. I put my nose to the glass and instantly I got a plethora of fruits and berries and spices. After smelling the wine for about ten minutes I finally gave it a try. It was like the 4th of July just went of in my mouth. Well, that was that. My eyes welled up and I realized the direction that I was to take.
