Previous Experiences with Wine

Wine has been an acquired taste for me.  My first experience with it was drinking some sickeningly sweet wine coolers with a friend my first week of college. Ew. Fortunately, my experience has improved since then!  Like almost any typical college girl can say, I first began drinking sweet and fruity wines such as Barefoot Moscato and Arbor Mist.  I probably would not have branched out into more sophisticated wine drinking had I not had the opportunity to travel to Spain in January 2013.

Spanish culture and food involves lots of wine drinking.  While on my two week trip in Spain I experienced a wide variety of wine from fruit-filled sangrias to house red wine with lunch, to many different kinds I had never heard of before.  I began to appreciate wine more as a beverage with endless possibilities of flavor and pairings with delicious Spanish cuisine.  When I returned from Spain I continued to drink wine more regularly and branch out into different types.  I have found so far that I prefer red wine to white wine for the most part, although my current favorite wine and food pairing is pinot grigo and seafood.

The other experience I have had with wine is more indirect.  For the past two years I have worked at a dairy creamery that produces artisan cheeses in Northern Virginia.  Many of our customers are local wineries and I often get asked questions about which wines go best with what cheeses.  We also make a cheese that is aged in local Virginia wines.  I am certainly no wine expert, although this experience has made me want to learn more about various wines and sparked my interest in viticulture.

Through this class I am hoping to learn more about how wine is produced because I am a Food Science & Technology major and am trying to get a well-rounded education in all types of food production.  I also would like to become more knowledgeable about common varieties of wine and maybe discover some new favorites that I can share with family and friends.  I also would like to acquire a basic knowledge about wine and food pairings because I love to cook and drink wine!

Some of the Spanish sangria and paella from my trip.