I was not always a wine drinker. Quite hilariously, I refuted wine’s tantilizing advances for quite some time.
This mostly, because of my Catholic upbringing. During Holy Communion, the priest blesses both bread and wine, symbolizing the Blood and Body of Christ. This Catholic-Church-wine and the Blood of Christ so loudly screamed “gross” that it was a serious deterrent.
Wine never symbolized food, an enriched deep history or everything good about enjoying a social evening rather, a way to repent for my sins every Sunday and brush my teeth after mass. (Though, the Bread of Christ was always a plus.)
Why do you care as a Sassy Vine reader? Maybe you know me, read the site and don’t have much of a taste for wine, rather, it makes you cringe and scrunch your nose at the thought. Maybe you can relate to my religious anecdote and feel the same sentiments. So, this is my fecitious look into being a wine drinking blogger and evolving as such. I am still new at this and learning along the way.
I was so uneducated in the first days, I really had no idea. I was an avid Riesling drinker. It’s so sweet and delicious. I (still) love it. I always got Kung Fu Girl. What a cool label they have. I enjoyed a really cold glass of it with dinner or just after class. Thinking of it makes me want a glass, actually.
Riesling is a white grape originating from Germany. A glass with a slice of pumpkin or zuchini bread would make a fantastic option for dessert.
With this discovery of white wines came a slew of new tastes to try. Charddonay, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Each of the wines have their own personalities that I love.
The tastes I feared the most were those of the reds. The wine would not be served in the gold goblets I was so familiar with, this rather, was the true change in my tastes, a coming of age.
It turned into a true Bruce Wayne/Batman situation for me, in becoming something I feared the most…or whatever he says (with much less-cool-rich-guy stuff and fighting crime.)
Alright so it wasn’t that dramatic, but I was nervous. I almost couln’t bare to do it. I could only think of church and all those people drinking from the same goblet, and the nun with the white kerchief gingerly wiping the rim. I almost didn’t do it from those visuals alone. Yet,tasting the red wine was…amazing. It was better than I could imagine. I drank the (boxed) Cabernet Sauvingion with pizza (which, is a cool way to pair a red) resisting at first, and soon succumbed to its powers. The headache the next day was not what I had anticipated, but alas a true love affair had begun.
What amazing flavors red wines had to offer! They really weren’t just the Blood of Christ! My pallet rejoiced. I am still trying and sampling reds. Syrahs, Cabernet Francs, Cabernet Sauvignons, the works, all grasp my attention and keep me wanting more.
I have been attending winery events, and with each comes a new introduction of wine. I hope to refine my tastes yet again and find a core group of wines I truly like and can share. Still being a newbie, I know that it will happen in time.
With age and maturity comes (great responsibility?) new tastes. Over time your pallet changes and you wish to take new food adventures. Which leads us to now and my adventures with wine. I’m learning, tasting and enjoying this spirited journey of my expanding and ever-changing pallet.
I really love your writing style, and I can totally relate to your story about wine and being Catholic. I’m not a fan of wine myself, but they way you wrote about how you grew to appreciate made me interested in trying it out again. The only criticism I have about this post is the lack of hyperlinks. You could also throw a few pictures in there. Keep up the good work!