Wine Snob In Training

A Newbie

Hello!

Well, since Blogger doesn't limit you on how many blogs you can create, and since I'm interested in a wide variety of things, I've decided to tackle another one: Wine Snobbery.

Actually, I've been a bit of a beer snob since high school, when I developed my taste for beer while on a school trip to Germany. I could drink all the beer I wanted over there, but it was hard to come home with my newly-acquired palate. I still had 4 years until I could legally purchase my own beer, but when I was able to sneak some money to older friends and relatives to buy me some beer, I always chose quality over quantity.

When I finally turned 21, and could buy my own beer, I still had my memories of the distinct flavor of German ales, pilsners, bocks and märzens. I searched all the watering holes for beers that satisfied those cravings. The closest I could come to drinking German beer in Germany (not the lesser-quality exported stuff that, while decent, doesn't taste anything like it does in Germany) was the unfiltered, unpasteurized Belgian ales. After awhile, I developed a strong preference to drinking Belgian ales. Fortunatly, the rest of America has caught on, and you can find more than just Chimay in many stores now. And, there are several companies that are brewing "Belgian-style" ales. Imitation is definitely a good form of flattery.

Last November, however, my parents took me on a tour of some Columbia Gorge wineries. Actually, I'll take a step back a bit. One of my blogging buddies (from Walla Walla) was always talking about drinking Merlot, and we had several discussions around wine and Belgian ale. He agreed to try some Belgians and I agreed to try some wine. So, technically, I dipped my toe into the waters of wine snobbery around the time that I stopped at the Maryhill winery to choose some wine for dinner with the in-laws -- a few weeks BEFORE my parents took me on my first dedicated wine tour.

Nevertheless -- it all started in the Columbia River Gorge (the REAL Gorge -- not "The Gorge at George" where the concerts happen). I'll share more of the story later, but my foray into the world of wine snobbery started with the wines of the greater Hood River/White Salmon/Bingen/The Dalles/Maryhill vicinity. Several wine tasting trips, and a few hundred dollars spent on wine later, here I am to discuss how to become a wine snob.

So, this blog will be my journal that captures my journey into wine snobbery. Since beer is more fattening than wine, I'm deciding to transfer my indulgence into alcoholic beverages from good beer into good wine. Of course, even a good Belgian costs a bit less than a good wine (though that's not always true), so the budget will have to be stretched a bit. But, if this place actually gets some readership, I'm hoping you'll help me develop my palate for wine, and my ability to distinguish a good one from a bad one. Of course, it's all subjective anyway, but still, there are methods and secrets to really enjoying a good glass of wine. I would like to know them!

posted by PositivePaul @ 10:30 PM