Sunday, July 31, 2011

Haters

Well, here I am. Sitting in my new apartment, avoiding unpacking now, and drinking a powerade to replenish the electrolytes that I lost while moving in 95 degree heat.
A conversation that we all had (and by 'we' I mean my roommate-Puffy, friend-Joey, and fellow wineaux-Jessi) while taking a breather in the old apartment today triggered an idea for a new post. Somebody brought up the subject of wine, I don't remember who exactly but it probably came up when Jessi suggested we go get more powerade and I suggested we grab a bottle of wine, also.
Wine as a topic usually induces the same reaction in Puffy and Joey, one of hatred. They shudder at the suggestion that they try some with a face screwed up in a nasty expression of disgust and a "bligh" sound from their mouths. Then Puffy usually reminds us all of when he tried a drink made of the cheap sangria that you can get a gallon for $8 mixed with coke.
Jessi and I usually have the same reaction to that mixture that they have to straight wine. We also usually add a comment of "blasphemy!" or "tragic!" to it. (I tend to get a little more dramatic and act like it hurts my heart to do something like that to wine) In my opinion, the only thing that wine should be mixed with is stuff to make a sangria (I have a fabulous white sangria recipe if anybody wants it).
These two are just a few of the people I know who I have begun calling haters. They may or may not have tried wine before, but they refuse to try it, even while under the guidance and tutelage of a wineaux. One does not have to be a wineaux to enjoy a nice glass of wine once in a while. One guy actually said to me that wine was a girly drink, that it is not something that a "man" drinks. This is probably one of the worst argument against drinking wine that I have ever heard. I laughed in his face and walked away, putting him in the "lost cause" column.
Hating all wine is like hating all pizza. There are far too many different options to choose from to say you hate all because you didn't like the one you tried.
Majority of fledgling wine drinkers lean toward sweeter wines because they are the easiest to drink, probably because they are closest to fruit juice to the pallet. I used to be one of those. I could really only drink sweet wines like miscatos and rieslings, not venturing past pinot gregio on the dry/tart scale. As I tried different wines in my adventures to vineyards, wineries, tasting rooms and events like the Wine and Jazz festival here in Kearney my pallet has matured, allowing me to, if not enjoy, at least appreciate drier wines. It just takes practice and determination to find the right wine for you.... a willingness to experiment doesn't hurt either.
As usual, talking about wine has made me crave some so I think Jessi and I are going to crack into the bottle of Buzzard's Roost that she got earlier. Na zdrowie!

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Change of Scenery

I am sitting here drinking the rest of my Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy, avoiding packing up the last 2 1/2 years of my life, and thinking I should go get a glass of wine so it's one less thing I have to move. It's one of those huge bottles of cheap yet decent wine you can get for 10 bucks that doesn't fit anywhere in the fridge except the entire bottom shelf.... hang on. I've talked myself into a glass.
Ahhh.... hit the spot.
Now to the point. I have come up with the perfect theme to decorate the kitchen in my new place! Ready? Wait for it... WINE! Such a stretch for me, I know.
I already have wine bottles decorating the top of my cupboards here so my favorite of those are going to follow me to the new place. The oodles of used corks that Laura and I have collected really have no home yet. I think they would look fabulous as wall art but since I am not that artsy, I may have to think that through a little more. Jessi, being the bestest best friend in the world, got me a pair of awesome wall plaques that boast the phrases "Reality is only an illusion that occurs due to the lask of wine." and "I never drink wine unless I'm alone or with somebody!"
I think the only things that would really top it off would be like a wine bottle or glass form out of wrought iron hanging on the wall and a great sign that says "In vino veritas, in aqua sanitas" (In wine there is truth, in water there is health)... I'll add that to the list of stuff my dad needs to make me, right behind the wine glass holder.
Is it possible for a room to be an enabler? Because if so, I think my future kitchen would fit into that category. I may have a problem, but we've barely seen the top of that particular iceberg.
Hmmmm... I should probably get back to packing up my life, but there's still wine in my glass. I think I'll just enjoy the rest of my moscato and go to bed, rise with the sun and keep going in the morning.

Strange Beginings: an Epic Adventure

I've always thought I have good ideas and that everybody should hear them. This is probably why I have been considered rather talkative since I was young. As I got older, I found out (to the frustration of my friends) that this chatty part of my nature is amplified by alcohol. So, when my bestie, Jessi suggested writing a blog about our adventures in wine (shameless plug: she has a blog too-frombeneaththecork.blogspot.co​m-it's awesome, check it out!) I thought "What better way to combine my need to over share with my love of wine?"
So here it is: Strange beginnings: an epic adventure.

In the beginning, there was wine.
Growing up, wine was not a stranger in my house... but it was usually something that my mom had made out of Welch's grape juice in a glass gallon jug with a balloon on it on top of our refrigerator. You want a drink that will knock you on the floor before you realize it, this is it. (I've been meaning to try making some using her recipe but I haven't worked up the nerve yet)
My parents were never ones to deny us a sip, but only a sip... (probably to deter us from drinking until we were old enough to realize that there was alcoholic drinks out there that actually tasted good) and up until college, this was really the only experience I had with wine. Then, I was introduced to the wonder that is boxed wine...ugh! I tried it once and I will probably never try it again unless forced to drink it at gunpoint.
Sometime in the middle of this, my older sister Betsy introduced us as a family to quality wine, wine that was more than $8 a bottle and proved to us why you should pay more than $8 a bottle. I enjoyed a glass with my family but I didn't really get hooked until I moved to live with my other sister, Laura.
One of Laura's old college professors owns a vineyard outside of Lexington, NE. She started drinking his wine and introduced me to Mac's Creek. It was amazing... and I was addicted. The problem was, Laura didn't share my blooming love affair with the vine, she was more of a one-night stand wine drinker. But Laura also introduced me to my future bestie, the aforementioned Jessi.
Jessi and I started irregular wine and cheese nights, quickly learning what wines we liked and what to pair them with (we still don't have it perfect but we're improving).
It was during our novice wineaux years (2009-10) that we heard about the Nebraska Wine Tour, and while it was too late to get a good start at it, we decided to attempt it in 2011. Jessi kept an eye on the website and we attacked that passport with a corkscrew and cheese knife as soon as we heard it came out.
Now here I am, writing a blog about wine and my adventure into the Nebraska wine scene. We are hoping to hit all of the vineyards/wineries and tasting rooms on the list while trying to convince anybody who will listen to try the tour themselves. I have high hopes for our adventure and many to come.... and if all else fails, we got to drink a lot of wine along the way!
My dad once said that the thing he loved most about me was that I can find the silver lining in almost any situation. Well, Dad, I hate to burst your bubble but I don't see the silver lining... I see the bottle half full.