My Intro to Wine Snobbery

Lizzy Freed  

“I like to think about what was going on the year the grapes were growing; how the sun was shining; if it rained. I like to think about all the people who tended and picked the grapes. And if it's an old wine, how many of them must be dead by now. I like how wine continues to evolve, like if I opened a bottle of wine today it would taste different than if I'd opened it on any other day, because a bottle of wine is actually alive. And it's constantly evolving and gaining complexity. That is, until it peaks, like your '61. And then it begins its steady, inevitable decline.”
    -Sideways

I’ve liked (no, loved) wine for as long as I can remember. Not only the allure of its subtle complexities and romanticized image, but the culture of vineyards and agriculture. Although I’m not trained as a sommelier, nor do I have any actual credentials, I have completed the most necessary step to lushism: I drink a lot of wine.

I’m lucky enough to actually remember my first experience with wine. I thank adult supervision for that, rather than my age. I was about five years old, at that tricky point for young Catholics where you’re dragged to church every Sunday. Fortunately for me, my father is a non-practicing Methodist, and would make up excuses to save me from the hour of fidgeting beside my mother. This week’s recipe: Making booze.

It’s not really as bad as it sounds, so before the image of my law-abiding father is misconstrued, let me just explain that he is a man of many trades and hobbies. So, for his next endeavor, he had a hankering to make a little home brew. My role in this was very tame, and very fun for a five-year-old tomboy. I got to step in a bucket of grapes until they were all juiced, just like they always did in the movies.

In the end, our wine turned to vinegar and was tossed in the compost, but on that fleeting Sunday morning, I glimpsed into something wonderful: the culture and beauty of wine.

This leads me to what I really hope to accomplish in this column. As any of my friends can attest to, I have a huge passion for this drink (oh, but it’s SO much more!), and love to spread its goodness. So although I might not have much of an official education on wine and can’t promise I won’t make a few mistakes, this could be a great place for us all to learn together about food and drink, and the beautiful relationship it can have with human life.

Although some may better remember their first wine hangover, we can generally all say that within the experience we either bonded with good friends or with ourselves. We can get into wine complexities later, but as an introduction, we should recognize that this drink brings us together to talk, laugh, or cry, in many cases. You don’t have to be a snob to recognize that.