The Wine Gap and My Mission
This has been a long time coming. For years, I wanted to bridge one of the largest gaps in the United States, the Wine Gap. That is my mission. I would bet that 90-95% of the people who walk into a liquor store or restaurant know very little about wine. Yet we buy and consume massive quantities in America. You probably fall into one of three types. You are intimidated of buying wine so you have someone else do it, or you go because you like to pick out cool looking labels or you think you know enough to do it yourself. Well, you needn’t be afraid, you shouldn’t buy a label and you can learn a lot more than you think you know. Believe me because I’ve been there. And I want to help!
Old World Culture
The cause of the Wine Gap in America is that we are not educated about wine, nor is it part of our daily life and culture like it is in the Old World (mostly Europe). In Europe, it is part of their culture. It’s consumed with food every day. And you don’t have to wait until you are of age. You learn from a young age which wines go with each food and which don’t. The wine has been crafted for generations for that purpose, so that there is a perfect marriage of food and wine in your mouth. So you will notice, I will recommend mostly old world wines because they are crafted to go with food for the most part.
New World Culture
In America, we sneak our parents wine and drink it to get drunk. We never learn anything about it. Our parents don’t have the knowledge so therefore we don’t have it. And nobody is trying to educate us and therefore nobody cares except for a small percentage of us who are labeled wine geeks or snobs. LOL. I know that the wine industry cares, but they have done little to help. That’s because sales are great, so it falls on the back burner which is a shame. I am an advocate of wine knowledge and hope to make a difference.
The Blame Game
Who or what is to blame for this? Lots are. Some are wineries, wine distributers, states, restaurants, liquor stores, our fast paced apathetic society, etc. The list is endless. But I hope to begin to change that, one varietal at a time. I am not a sommelier, nor did I go to school for wine. But I cared and I listened and I read and I learned for years. I ate at some of the best restaurants in the world and attended numerous wine classes, tastings and events. I read my wine magazine cover to cover every month. Wine trips include Napa, Sonoma, Italy, France and Germany so I immersed myself in their culture.
The Goal or My Mission
You can drink a nice bottle of wine by itself and enjoy its flavors and get drunk if you want, but there is so much more to wine. I can get you started and I know more than enough to educate. How many times do you think I hear, “I hate white wine” or “I only drink red?” Perhaps you never had a good white wine. Or maybe you drank it with the wrong food? I often hear some say that they don’t like wine at all. Maybe that’s because your first sip was a newly opened bottle of a harsh red or a cheaply made bottle that doesn’t deserve to be called wine. It’s okay if ultimately you never like white or even wine at all. But let’s decide properly. That’s my mission. So let the fun begin! And please remember to have a designated driver.
If you would like to learn more about how to pick a wine, click here.