Subject: Subjectivity...maybe I'll just stick with the Winemaker's Notes for now.

Wine is subjective...sweet!

I love wine tasting events. I've only been to a handful of them, but can't get enough. I love challenging my lil amateur taste buds to a game of, "taste for the inconspicuous flavors listed in the winemaker's notes." It's such a fun little adventure to me. I must admit, I find that sometimes it is more fun to skip the winemakers' notes and let my buds find the flavors themselves...they are pretty free spirited. Imagine, though, if the amateur wine drinker was not lucky enough to see the winemaker's notes at a tasting, and just decided to forget about verbal censorship.

Uneducated: "Does anybody else taste spearmint gum? Or maybe it's wintergreen...i can't tell"

Educated: "Yes Mr/Ms Winemaker, you are absolutely right, I do taste hints of mint and cedar."

Sometimes those winemaker notes are a unfiltered mouth's godsend.

Uneducated: "Gee , this glass of Grenache smells like flinstones vitamins."

Educated: "I can certainly smell the notes of mineral. Fabulous!"

Speaking of mineral, I had a bottle of 2007 Las Rocas de San Alejandro Garnacha the other day; not at a tasting, but in the privacy of my own home. I actually blurted out, "Honey! This wine smells like flinstones vitamins." I am a bit embarrassed to reveal the previous quote. I realize, however, that I was correct. The wine really did smell like flinstones vitamins, I just didn't have the developed wine vocabulary to connect the correct word with the smell: Mineral. And, I must say that Las Rocas Garnacha is a wonderful bottle of wine. I'd have to agree to Robert Parker and give it a solid 90...or two thumbs up. It was an exciting glass of wine, to say the least. I've never had a glass of grenache before this, but from what I can tell so far, it's pretty wonderful. (Factoid: Grenache is the most planted grape in Spain. It is also grown in other regions like Cali, Australia, and Rhone.) It was very dark red in color, intensely flavored and very dynamic. That makes a wine pretty dang fun to sip on.

Alas, wine tasting is indeed subjective:

With hints of censorship.

Nothing A Little Boxed Wine Can't Fix

I need to make a confession.

I use to be an avid Franzia boxed wine drinker. I loved the white zin. I would come home from class or work, open my fridge, pour a glass, and throw in exactly three ice cubes. My wine glasses were small and thick. I loved the sweet tangy taste. I would offer a glass to all my guests and think that I was offering them quite a delight. “I’m fabulous, I have a box of wine in my fridge. Can I offer you a glass? I know you can’t resist.” Oh, Franzia!

Whew.

It feels so good to have gotten that off of my chest.

Ladies and gentlemen, the elephant has officially been exposed.

"I use to drink boxed wine."

(It helps to say it out loud)

Two years later I am totally into succulent reds and buttery whites. I have thin lovely wine glasses and a fabulous balloon decanter. I can sort of distinguish a cab between a zin; and I try my best to taste for the “oakiness” in a glass of chard. I am far from being a wine snob. In fact, I hope I never become one. It’s just that I have barely scratched the surface of the world of wine and am TOTALLY intrigued. There is so much to learn about wine: how it’s made, the different varietals, appellations, etc. I am a student of life and have this urge to learn about my new passion. Hence, this blog. I am writing, not so much to teach, but to learn. I will write about the wines I taste, the tidbits I learn about the industry, research I come across, and maybe even some personal life stories. This is going to be fun. I encourage any readers to contribute advice, rants, raves, or whatever. Let’s get this party started!

(Raising a glass of boxed wine white zin).

Salud!