April 28, 2021
Drink What You Love
I have been steeped in the wine industry for over two decades. I started down the rabbit hole of being a Sommelier (fancy term for a wine nerd/know-it-all). I have built and maintained both private and industry wine collections, restaurant wine lists, and at one point was buying over $10k of wine a month for my employer. In short, I have tried a LOT of juice. That means I have also tried a ton of “bad wine,” whatever that actually means.
Early on in my wine adventure, I didn’t enjoy the taste of European wines and I couldn’t figure out why. I wanted to like them. I attempted to love them and convince myself that what the experts called the “barnyard” on the nose and the hints of “chicken poo” and “weathered leather” was fascinating, not off-putting. I mean wine judging badass Robert Parker just gave this wine a 92-point score in Wine Spectator. How could I, a 20 something year old whose mom wasn’t much of a drinker be a legitimate judge of wine? While I did find many European selections that I loved, as a genre, I generally stayed clear.
I struggled with this for well over five years and like most young wine enthusiasts, I faked it and went off tasting notes, recommendations, etc. For those who have never been a server, it’s the most technical way to sell wine and really a true art of professional servers…for those in the service industry ROFLMAO!!!
It turns out there is more to the European wine taste thing than I’m going to cover here (we’ll get to it eventually, I promise!). But at the end of the day what matters is this: you should drink what you like. You don’t have to fake it, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to.
What I have learned is that individual tastes can vary dramatically. Those in the industry, or who are familiar with wine lingo, know this preference as their ‘wine palate” (not pallet or palette…English is tough). I have tried wines with tons of people and what I have found is wine boils down to what you like…not what Robert Parker or Wine Enthusiast believes. The good news is wine is probably one of the most subjective things that exists. The bad news is wine is one of the most subjective damned things that exists.
Enter C D Wine Ventures to the rescue! No, no, no… I am just joking. There is no magic bullet fix to the complexities of the wine world. And why would we ever want one? The world would be an awfully boring place if we all liked the same thing. What we try to do is simply share a casual, tongue-in-cheek description of our favorite wine selections with you. We start from our own, varied preferences, and then we hope you’ll explore and find your own flavor. Our hope is that you will just drink what you love, the juice that works for you.
Early on in my wine adventure, I didn’t enjoy the taste of European wines and I couldn’t figure out why. I wanted to like them. I attempted to love them and convince myself that what the experts called the “barnyard” on the nose and the hints of “chicken poo” and “weathered leather” was fascinating, not off-putting. I mean wine judging badass Robert Parker just gave this wine a 92-point score in Wine Spectator. How could I, a 20 something year old whose mom wasn’t much of a drinker be a legitimate judge of wine? While I did find many European selections that I loved, as a genre, I generally stayed clear.
I struggled with this for well over five years and like most young wine enthusiasts, I faked it and went off tasting notes, recommendations, etc. For those who have never been a server, it’s the most technical way to sell wine and really a true art of professional servers…for those in the service industry ROFLMAO!!!
It turns out there is more to the European wine taste thing than I’m going to cover here (we’ll get to it eventually, I promise!). But at the end of the day what matters is this: you should drink what you like. You don’t have to fake it, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to.
What I have learned is that individual tastes can vary dramatically. Those in the industry, or who are familiar with wine lingo, know this preference as their ‘wine palate” (not pallet or palette…English is tough). I have tried wines with tons of people and what I have found is wine boils down to what you like…not what Robert Parker or Wine Enthusiast believes. The good news is wine is probably one of the most subjective things that exists. The bad news is wine is one of the most subjective damned things that exists.
Enter C D Wine Ventures to the rescue! No, no, no… I am just joking. There is no magic bullet fix to the complexities of the wine world. And why would we ever want one? The world would be an awfully boring place if we all liked the same thing. What we try to do is simply share a casual, tongue-in-cheek description of our favorite wine selections with you. We start from our own, varied preferences, and then we hope you’ll explore and find your own flavor. Our hope is that you will just drink what you love, the juice that works for you.