Wine World

I started drinking wine a couple of years ago after my brother-in-law convinced me to try this Australian Shiraz along with a sesame pork he had cooked Thanksgiving weekend (we had turkey, too... we really like to eat).

I've never been a fan of alcohol... really. I never really cared for the taste, especially in more common drinks drunk by those in my social circles (beer drinkers to be more specific). But this was truly different. I felt there was a purpose to it. I really liked his pork recipe before, but with this glass of wine, he had become a 5 star chef that day. I became instantly curious to start trying different wines at restaurants with some of my favorite meals and it really opened up a whole new world for me and my taste buds.

Now, not by any standards available out there do I claim to know anything about wine. I've read the wiki on it and followed some of the links around that claim beginners welcome, but one can quickly become lost in the plethora of information about the beverage's history and diversity and how to best enjoy it, etc. What once you thought would be a simple addition to your lifestyle abruptly becomes an obsessive hobby of sorts... and possibly an expensive one as well.

But one thing I've found goes along the line of a grand misconception about wine drinking. You don't need to start driving a fancy car and joining book worms in wine taste parties to take advantage of wine drinking. If you focus on what wine drinking means to you, you can enjoy it just as well on your own and in the company of your old beer drinking buddies.

But I have yet to move my relationship with wine to the next level. And you know what I'm talking about: the level in which you start racking up bottles in your kitchen counter-top, but now you understand enough about wine that you feel compelled to protect your investment by turning your third child's basement bedroom into a wine bottle cellar.

In order to move forward from having your waiter/waitress recommend you a glass of wine to go with your meal towards building your own list of recommendations, you need to experiment and actively participate in the global community. There are a number of people interested in both learning and sharing their knowledge with you about this wonderful activity.