The Unskilled Sommelier

So, I guess it should come as no surprise that nearly a month has passed since the day I decided to start a blog about everything I wish I knew about wine. Par for the course, and all that jazz. Knowing this about myself, it probably would be best if I didn't even start this. I mean, there are really two ways to "work" on not-finishing, right? Either somehow miraculously start finishing them, or just don't begin them to - well - begin with. And since the first option hasn't worked so well for me to this point, it makes more sense to lean toward the second.

Except that not trying new things makes me itch. Know what I mean? I think that's part of living. I want to know what it feels like to crochet or make jewelry, to smear my hands in paint or cook with lemon zest. I think eyes are made to see the wonders God gave us, and feet are made to walk on ground that hasn't yet been paved.

And yet too many days

of my life are spent watching Law & Order SVU marathons and talking myself into actually cooking dinner instead of ordering out. Just doesn't seem to mix, does it?

That's what I thought. And I haven't quite known what to do about it all.

So some time in late December I received my monthly volume of "The Nest" magazine. I enjoy rolling around in the bitter irony this subscription offers me, since it was part of my enrollment in a Wedding Planning website some five years ago - or was it four? Who keeps track of when they were last engaged? I feel like I've fooled the scanning process for this publication's audience base, and love to curl up and laugh with Single Superiority as I read articles about how to "keep him satisfied" or fresh new ideas for the "His and Hers" bathroom.

Yeah right. We all know I end this ritual by desperately hugging my cat, Sir Peachy, and struggling through an Acapella version of "All By Myself" on the sofa.

Too much for the first post? Sorry.

Anyway. I'm reading this magazine, and I find an article that actually speaks to me; it's advice from a sommelier in California on what wine is the right gift for different occasions. I don't know if it's because wine makes me

think of Europe and that was the most amazing trip I have ever taken, or if it's because I'm a Pastor's kid and being an expert on anything alcoholic feels a bit naughty. But I finished reading the article and wished there was more advice. I thought there should be a glossary in the back of the magazine, since the wine expert (yeah, I had to look up "Sommelier" to figure out what that was all about) didn't do a great job at dumbing her explanations down for little ole me.

The article stuck with me. Well, not really. I couldn't tell you what was the right wine to take to a Baby Shower. Should you even bring wine to a baby shower? That's probably inappropriate. What stuck with me was how much I didn't know about wine, and how much of a culture surrounds the drink. I wanted in, or at least to better understand the appeal.

And so here is the point of this intro-turned-diary entry: this is the blog that will chronicle my exploration into wine. I don't know what I'll find, or if it will be useful. But I thought it might be fun to go along for the ride.

We all know what will happen if I try to give a set structure to this: I won't follow it, and that will bum me out. But here's the hope. I want to try a different wine every week, whether cheap or expensive, domestic or foreign, new or aged. I will give it a try. I want to do a little digging around the label, the type of wine, and what other people say I should think about it. And then I want to tell you what I thought. That's really it! I just tried my first wine this weekend, and I have a feeling already that this should be fun. I'll tell you more about that later.