How I Fell in Love with Wine
The first time I tasted wine was in college. I was working as an intern for a popular community art fair and the Executive Director was a 40-something, cool boss. She treated her interns as family and exposed us to the finer things in life. Part of that education included things like massages, traveling, and red wine.
Having sparked a love for travel and wine, I dreamt of going to Napa. So I set my sights on my 30th birthday. I did everything to earn airline miles and hotel points to pay for the trip. And when I turned 30, I had an epic trip driving the PCH from Los Angeles to San Francisco then meeting up with friends and wine tasting for three days in Napa.
View of Los Carneros region taken in 2011.
I was in love with everything about it, except the feeling of being an inadequate taster. Napa (and wine in general) tend to have a pretentious reputation. I am the first to tell you that I do not have a refined palate. I can’t smell the honeysuckle or taste the pencil shavings. I just know that I either like the taste or I don’t.
So when the snobbery gets to be too much, here’s what I remind myself:
Wine is fermented grape juice.
Winemaking starts with farming and nothing could be more down-to-earth than that.
There are stories behind every bottle - a lot of people worked very hard to produce it.
And while there will always be those wine tasters who make you feel inferior, there are plenty that won’t and don’t make you feel like that.
That’s my goal and intention with A Full Glass Events. To create a memorable and fun experience without intimidation. Because wine is fun. It’s fun to drink, learn about and gather around.
Let’s share a (full) glass together soon!