Wine: nectar of the gods, beverage of the privileged. A drink reserved for the James Bonds and Thomas Crowns of the world to impress the ladies.
Acquiring a knowledge of wine is one of those things that people categorize with the things they would like to do someday but just don’t have the time or money for, such as visiting the Pyramids or the Louvre. But it doesn’t have to be this way, as I hope this on-going column will make clear.
Similar to many people, I regarded wine as an almost mystical thing that was solely the play-thing of the rich. I always desired to know about this fanciful treat but didn’t know where to start or even how.
There is always that one person in every group of friends who has such knowledge and uses it to impress the crowd at dinner when the question comes up — “Which wine goes with this pasta?” This friend just happened to be my roommate.
When I mentioned my desire to attain this holy knowledge, he introduced me to a book about wine. Inside was the secret to what I had suspected all along: that there really isn’t much to knowing about wine and that wine-loving is more a matter of taste than real higher learning, as so many believe.
Now, there are those in the world who take wine very seriously, including here in the good old United States. In France, for example, there are very strict laws governing how wine is to be made, what it can be called and so on. There are even government wine tasters who evaluate the quality of wine. Here in the United States, there are also laws that are molded after the French model of governing wine production, most notably in California but in Oregon as well. However, we will be dealing with the much lighter side of enjoying wine.
I will do my best to debunk that myth that only expensive wine is good wine, and prove that a $5 bottle of wine cannot only be a bargain but a truly enjoyable and memorable experience. Wines will be presented by region, type, quality and cost. We will explore the many different wine-producing areas of the world, as well as feature local vintners and vineyards. I will also tackle the daunting task of matching certain wines with certain foods. This will be a chance to learn how to better wine and dine your date, or it will teach you to identify a truly delectable wine from a $2 bottle of red-eye.
Being a college student means cutting costs and living on a budget, yet there is no reason that you shouldn’t be able to live richly — without being rich.