WINE #1

If you know me, you know I love wine...not to mention, women and song. I came to love wine relatively late in life...the last twenty years or so. It takes a little work to develop a taste for it, to figure out what to buy and to find what you like best. I have no great knowledge of the subject but, as usual, I'm willing to share what little I have. Once or twice I've overdone it with wine and embarrassed myself. I've said some really stupid things after a bottle of fermented grape. Once, I spilled red wine on my boss' pure white living room carpet...ouch. I hadn't had too much at that time but this goes to show that there is a responsibility that goes with wine drinking - scotch would have been barely noticed.

In the US and everywhere outside of Europe, we name wine by the grape from which it is made. Merlot is a type of grape as is cabernet sauvignon and so forth. The Europeans, on the other hand, tend to name their wine after the region where it is made. They then include a subregion and the estate where the grapes were grown. This name does not mention the type of grape used to make the wine. You just have to learn that Bordeaux wines are almost always made from a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. In the US, we sometimes add the region to the wine type. For example, "Pinot Nior, a product of the Napa Valley."

Enough of that. For starters, buy American-made wine. Try some made with each grape: red wines; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Nior, Shiraz and white wines; Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Reisling, Sauvignon Blanc. Hone in on your favorites. Feel comfortable ordering them. Make note of the suggested foods they go with. Oh, one glass per meal is plenty. More on wines another time.

Always remember, Jesus didn't turn water into scotch.
:o)