Do you speak wine?

Given we are still very much in the middle of this pandemic wave, Tim and I find ourselves turning to alcohol more often than not. I always liked wine, or so I thought I did. It turns out I love wine, and maybe go as far as to say I live wine. No fine meal is complete without a matching number and more often than not, I decide on the meal with regards to which wine I am about to serve. It didnt quite start as such, as I said before, this is the kind of love which grew with time, in every way. When I was younger, my parents and wider family indulged in those very long lunches and dinner which started with welcome canapés and drinks, drifting into the meal then lulling into after dinner drinks. With the main meal I was allowed a glass of wine and for New Year, a glass of champagne too. This from the age of 12. I still have a special fondness for champagne, equating this with the happiest moments of my life. When I got to legal drinking age, I thought I preferred a gin and tonic to a wine. In hindsight, it was all to do with budget. The university student budget I was on only afforded me a cheap bottle of wine which understandably more often than not failed me in taste whereas the gin offered a reliable, consistent and affordable refreshing drink. It was not until I was working and I went on my first wine tour trip that I truly discovered the passion for wine once more. This revelation came to me in New Zealand. Anyway I dither, should you like wine but do not know much about it, take your time to learn. Do not try and bluff, it is all worth it in the end. My little gems of advice to you would be always ask the sommelier, this bunch knows their wine list, more often than not at least, and do not try to emulate those old toffs. Ever so unbecoming. They have got their palates, you have your own palate print and its your cash. Choose what you like and learn at your own space. Most independent wine shops do offer wine masterclasses. They usually tend to be fun and informative, as well as an excellent way to learn about the producers. Throughout the last 10 years, my taste has changed tremendously, I found taking courses really padded my knowledge but I did do a few classic beginner mistakes of thinking I know too much after the first few classes. I cringe when I think back on the comments I would have made displaying unjustified hubris. If there is one thing to be said about those aforementioned toffs who keep intimidating everyone, they do have many many years of knowledge. They also however forget they also started somewhere unless they grew up in this environment, but they create a little wine bubble which is not necessarily open or accessible to all. There are specific descriptions wich are used to describe the taste of wine generally, so you can communicate what you taste for all to have an idea. There is a wide chart for it and generally it suggests a wide range of food or smells your wine may most resemble. For example, a red wine may taste of berries, cherries, forest fruit, tobacco , vanilla etc…A white wine will remind you of citrus, peaches and florals. I shall be writing a lot more on wine, so do follow up on future wine ramblings, specially trying to pair my recipes with a wine I think may work well. Wine tasting is so much fun. Of course, drink responsibly 😉