So...I will begin at the beginning.
I probably first drank wine at church.
Here is the Anglican church in which I was confirmed in 1986.
Being raised Anglican, many of my friends and were very curious about what this "wine" tasted like. Our parents and grandparents were allowed to sip this every Sunday as they consumed the "body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen". It was also consumed occasionally at birthdays or holiday celebrations. Finally, at the age of thirteen, I was finally granted this opportunity. I was, of course, disappointed. Perhaps it was the stale styrofoam-like bread, perhaps it was my mother looking over my shoulder...or perhaps even my underdeveloped taste-buds preferred purple Kool-Aid or root beer. The taste was sharp, acidic and not remotely like the grape juice I'd envisioned.
Fast forward a decade later. After many years of drinking cheap beer by the case or guzzling rye or rum with the equivalent of four litres of sugary soda pop, I was finally re-introduced to wine.
I was fresh out of university and working as a recruitment officer for my alma mater. (It was an east-coast university. The opportunity for low pay and free travel was intoxicating, no pun intended...at least not at this point.) One of the more experienced recruiters (let's call him Bob...I don't think that was his name, but he struck me as a back-slapping Bob-like character in my memory), suggested we save our daily food allowances and head to the downtown Ottawa market for a nice dinner together. There were at least 8-10 of us.
Ottawa's Byward Market. Lots to do! Great place for kids and adults alike.
I do not remember the food, though I think it was a Middle-Eastern themed restaurant, but I DO remember the wine. It was a Chilean Merlot. Well, that was it for me. The next few recruitment trips saw me leaving behind cheap, foamy, watery cans of beer for red wine. I began to seek it out, try a new country a new grape every week.
As I left the university recruitment office for teaching positions, my profession took me to New England and eventually to Ontario (with larger and more interesting wine choices). I was happy to explore.
Like many, I started with different kinds of red wines: Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon...then explored whites with Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Riesling. Over time, I started to be more cognizant of food and wine pairings, and even how the same grapes tasted different depending upon the country in which it was grown....this fascinated me.
I started to think a lot more about wine.
I went on read a few books here and there. Viewed some of the popular films (both Hollywood and documentary) about wine. My wife (an avid wine lover too) and I now enjoy trying new bottles all the time. Whether you agree with a publically owned liquor corporation or not, the LCBO offers more choice than I have time to drink.
Things began to go from private to public (not pubic in the true sense...just sharing with friends) due to Facebook.
I will back up. My wife and I enjoy cooking a lot as well, and so I began to post photos of our meals a few years ago as a bit of a lark....well that began in 2012, and a few hundred photos later, I still do.
I even toss in the wine pairing to suggest as well.
This lead to following local wineries and wine blogs...and recently I was asked to participate and give my perspectives on wine (as a wine 'lover', not a wine expert)....so I thought to myself, how about my own wine blog?
So here it is.
I'm starting on a bit of an adventure here. I hope you enjoy coming along for it. If not, that's okay. I still get a chance to simply write. That is a reward unto itself.
Until then....cheers.
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