Wine

YOU MUST BE 21 TO READ THIS POST.

I am not advocating drinking, I am advocating for responsibility and appreciation. 

I wish I would have thought of this Halloween Costume.  Saw her in the Oregon District while out with Dayton Ruggers.  

Obviously I turned 21 this decade.  Yes, I drink.  Yes I made some silly mistakes early on, but I’ve grown up and have learned to love wine and appreciate it.  I think I may have subconsciously moved to Oregon to be close to the vineyards.

I’ll admit that it began with Carlo Rossi.  Being poor at a young age and being able to buy a 4 liter JUG of wine for $12 was quite the deal and it didn’t taste THAT bad.  I would later learn, that yes, yes it does taste THAT bad.  I was a silly college kid.  What did I know?  I do remember sitting around a campfire passing around a jug-o-rossi with my friends and drinking it the fancy way.  I have always been very classy.

I did have to ease into the wine like I had to ease into alcohol period (Fruity mixed drinks to Zima to Miller Lite to to Tequilla to Scotch).  I started off sweet drinking Riesling and Moscato.  I then cast my nets further and stuck with white wines like chardonnay, savignon blanc, pinot gris.  I wasn’t ready for the fullness of reds yet, but then I was introduced to a varietal called Pinot Noir.  It was my gateway red.

I have friends back in Ohio that are my wine buddies. Nick and Cousin Julie would go to wine tasting events and when we all got together for social get togethers, we would share wine. We would bring wine back from various vacations to share with each other. It was a great thing we all had in common.  

Chrissy and I started a weekly event called Wineaux Wednesdays. I would go to her house and sit in my designated chair and we would watch tv, mostly So You Think You Can Dance, while sipping on wine. We believe we could be judges on that show, especially if they provided wine. It was my favorite part of the week and Wednesdays just aren't the same now.

On Wednesdays we would have Block-O-Cheese or Jug-O-Pretzels to go with our Box-O-Wine. It all tasted really good together and that is still my favorite dinner as I don't care for cooking. I have started to learn more about food pairings and really enjoy when a wine complements a meal.  The flavors fill my senses and I am in heaven for a brief period of time.  Now if I every venture out into the world of culinary experimentation, I will pair it with wine.  I still don’t really like to cook though, so maybe this will be reason for me to really break out the pots and pans.  I haven't found a wine to go with Ramen Noodle yet, which is the extent of my cooking.

I joined a wine club here in Oregon.  When I heard there was a Sweet Cheeks Winery, I HAD to go because that’s what I always call people instead of sugar or honey....sweet cheeks.  This is where I chose to be a wine member, because I was out with Snowy and E and really enjoyed their wine.  I get 2 discounted bottles 6 times a year and discounts on other wine purchases.  It’s a great deal.  I attended their complimentary Wine Club Appreciation dinner with my roommate Eric’s parents who are also Wine Club Members.  It was a beautiful night and I enjoyed the other club members who sat at our table.  I was probably one of the youngest if not the youngest person at the dinner.  It’s not that big of an expense and I would think more people in their late 20s and early 30s would be members, but maybe there is a stigma with becoming a wine club member that I am not aware of.  

Sweet Cheeks is my favorite winery so far, but I also like Anne Amie, Emerson, Airlie, Lavelle, and Belle Valle.  Ok, I love wineries.  These I love specifically for their wine.  I love Kings Estate more for their beautiful vineyards and their Raptor Program.  The grounds at Kings Estate are perfect for releasing rehabilitated raptors back into the wild.  These birds of prey help to handle the pests in the fields.  They do not need to use the harmful chemicals that other vineyards do.  I like Hip Chicks Do Wine because of their approach to wine.  It is run by women and celebrates the female winemaker.  It’s not just for the ladies as even my brother liked their wine.

I love Belle Valle Labels.  They are originally glass tile artwork and then created into a print label .  I really want an original bottle with the glass tile artwork.  I was immediately drawn to the artistry of the label and then learned of how it was produced.  

Ohio had some wineries, although not nearly as many.  The Pink Catawba from Heineman’s Winery on Put-in-Bay Island was the first wine I bought to taste no not to chug.  Unfortunately someone did chug it before I got a chance to enjoy it respectfully. There is also a winery in Enon, Ohio near Yellow Springs.  It was wonderful to be able to sit on the lawn at Brandeberry enjoying a flight of wine.

I believe when I moved to Yellow Springs is when my appreciation for wine took off.  Every Friday night Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe would have a wine tasting highlighting about 4-5 wines for $2-$3 for a taste depending on the wine.  They were generous pours usually for a tastes, so it was a wonderful deal.  Add in the live music and it was pure bliss. Chrissy and I spent many Friday nights at the Emporium with beer tasting at Peach’s afterwards.  We tasted a lot of different wines from all over the world and I do believe our favorite was the Baby Jesus wine.  

My love and appreciation for wine grew when my cousin Julie and I also took a class called Wine 101 at The Winds Wine Cellar.  It was amazing.  We tasted whites one weekend and then red the next weekend.  Each wine was paired with delicious food from The Winds.  We went over characteristics of wine and terminology to describe whites vs reds.  Our instructor, and owner of The Winds, Mary Kay did an exquisite job.  It was laid back and fun.  I would love to find a similar class in the Oregon, which I am sure exists.  

I am so excited to learn more about wine since I am surrounded by vineyards and insightful sommeliers.  I’ve often thought about getting a weekend job, or even volunteer work at a winery just so I could learn more.  I would even do laborious tasks such as grape picking or smashing.  It sounds so fun.  Stomping grapes makes me think of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy...one of my favorite episodes ever!  By the way, Happy 100th Birthday Lucy