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!