I came to wine appreciation a bit later in life. I had already graduated from college (Oregon). spent four years in the Air Force, and attended two graduate schools (Oregon and UCLA.) I lived in Delaware and taught at the university there. I apparently have an acute sense of “Feng Shui” because I could never acclimate to the Sun setting on the “wrong side of the beach.” I longed to get back to the right (Left) coast. I was offered a position at California State University, Long Beach (aka Long Beach State,) and I jumped on it. I was to spend 20+ years teaching there.
One of my colleagues there was a certified Enophile (wine snob) and he encouraged me to start a new hobby. He had written several books, academic and popular articles and taught a university course. I sat through his course on “Wines and Vines,” assisted pouring wine in the tastings that were part of the course, and otherwise became completely addicted. I read every book and magazine I could get my hands on, watched YouTube videos by various experts and started making visits to wineries and tastings as a part of every vacation. I started visiting wine shops everywhere I traveled, read the reviews and bought the best wines for dinner that, as an Assistant Professor, I could afford.
Thus began my lifelong quest to find the highest quality wine for the lowest price. I suspect that many of you have a similar bent and there are even entire websites devoted to that theme. Regularly consulting such sites can be a full-time job, but I think that a friend’s recommendation is more reliable. I hope I can occasionally fill that role for you.
For the past twenty plus years I have been researching wine wherever I go. I’ve been to Europe two dozen times. My residence in California affords me access to some of the best wines in the world. And for wine-producing countries beyond Europe, I’ve traveled to South Africa, Turkey and Israel. The big holes in my personal experience are Australia/New Zealand and South America. I’ve studied a bit about both regions and drunk gallons of their wines, but I wouldn’t pretend to be a local expert.
I’ve hosted dozens of Tastings, both for my wine classes, local charities and organizations and just for fun. At some point I’ll share with you some lessons learned about putting on such events. If you are planning on doing a tasting, a post on this site may give you lots of useful hints and tips from our Blog friends.
