In the beginning

A little bit about Moi

For my first official post I should probably explain why it is that I'm here, why I'm doing this and what I hope to gain from it - maybe then people will understand that just because I can easily polish off a bottle of wine a night by myself, does not mean I have a drinking problem, but rather that I'm merely conducting research - yes researching wine required A LOT of wine tasting drinking.

I was introduced to alcohol at a wee young age, my parents allowed me and my brothers to have a small glass of champagne for our birthday each year (back in the days when you could call anything that was bubbly, champagne); its never too young to celebrate, right?!       

I'm fairly certain that's a glass of Michinbury Brut 

Over my teen years, I experimented with various flavours of UDL cans, West Coast Coolers, Breezers, Cruisers, Illusion jugs and goonbags of all shapes and sizes. But nothing could grab my attention and hold as my staple drink of choice - that is until my first trip to the Hunter Valley.

I was 21, and went to the Hunter for a weekend trip away; staying in the high picturesque hills of Mount View, I arranged a full day winery tour which unbeknownst to me at the time would introduce me to my future love. During that weekend I saw what I deemed a little piece of heaven; the vines imprinted on me, the beauty of their entangled budding limbs beckoned me while the clustered bunches of sweet swollen fruit watered my mouth.... hello my darlings!

As the years past, my interest in wine grew rapidly, I was tasting as many different wines as I could get my hands on. Whenever I travelled I always ensured I did a quick Google search on local wineries, I've had Champagne in Champagne, Chablis in Chablis, and a lovely burgundy just outside Dijon. I've stopped off in Montepulciano to sample some of their finest, then headed north to indulge in a Chianti. I spent a sunny autumns day enjoying some Sonoma Pinot Noir then another sampling the wares in the Finger Lakes. I've covered most of Australia and the north island of New Zealand but I'm nowhere near finished - if there is a winery in this world, then a visit to it is on my bucket list.

From my experiences I've found the smaller boutique wineries to be more appealing, I love visiting them and talking to the families, learning their stories and hearing them describe their wines with unadulterated passion. This passion has led me to start studying wine, learning about the the wine-making process and understanding the effects of the terroir; while purely vocational at present, the intention one day is to work within the industry that now commands my waking interest.

One of my reasons for starting this process of blogging, tweeting and Instagraming is to help emphasise the point that wine does not need to be complicated; while the process to make the wine is complex and time consuming, the finished product needs merely to be enjoyed and appreciated for what it is - a beverage. When I buy a wine it is not to match to food, or because there's a rave review I've read about that particular wine, or because it's a pricey bottle and will hopefully impress the person I'm planning on drinking it with, instead, its because at the time I'm going to drink it, THAT is the wine I feel like drinking. Cold cosy nights by the fire entice a full-bodied red, while a day at the beach with some fish and chips can leave my lips craving an oily Riesling. Life is all about living in the moment, making the best of every situation and enjoying yourself, so why not do this in the best way possible by allowing yourself a moment in wine!

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Over the years I've come up with my do's and don't of wine, they're fairly simple rules, but rules I tend to live by.

My rules of wine:

• Do try as many new varietals as possible, you could find your new favourite wine
• Do smell the wine before you taste it, have a whiff then give the glass a swirl and have give it a second whiff - you'll smell the wine open up - it's fabulous
• Do ask how to pronounce a wine if you're unsure, There's nothing worse then hearing someone say how much they enjoyed the glass of chaBLISS or sem-MILLION
• Do feel confident in selecting wines, even if you know nothing about it, a quick read of the label or a chat with the bartender can tell you the basics you need to know
• Do think about what it is you're drinking, find the flavours, find the smells, roll the wine around your mouth and find those characteristics

• Don't only drink mainstream, the little guys make wine for passion, not just for profit, Their blood, sweat and tears help enhance the taste
• Don't drink from anything that can be recycled as a pillow
• Don't drink wine in the birth year, everything worthwhile in life deserves at least a year to settle
• Don't mix wine with anything - especially not coca cola as that's just pure sacrilege
• Don't drink wine from the bottle - unless you have no other choice or are really really thirsty!