Why Hello There!!
And welcome to the bog of the running vine! I am a runner who loves to drink wine and would love to share my adventures with you.
First a slight disclaimer, this is part of an assignment that I have to do for my geography of wine class. This means that the majority of my posts for the next three months will be focused on tasting, pairing and really anything that has to do with wine. Since I am doing it for a grade, some may be overly scholarly but I will try to lighten the mood and throw in some random jokes... hopefully you will laugh?!
As per my first assignment, I need to write a little about myself and my experience with wine. Well here goes nothing:
Wine, wine, wine, oh how wonderful this red drink is. My experience with wine starts with the most important people in my life, my family. I grew up in a household that had an alcoholic drink every night at dinner. From as far back as I can remember, my parents would have a bottle of wine every night at dinner. Even my grandparents would drink wine (now maybe it was out of a glass jar into a coffee mug.. but besides the point). Seeing as I grew up around it, I think it was kind of an obligation to get into wine, not that I am complaining.
Honestly, I cannot remember the first glass of wine but I have no doubt it was probably a red and at the dinner table over the holidays. I am pretty sure I was not 21 at the time but since I am the youngest of the family, I got away with it. I wouldn't say that I hated it, but I could force myself to drink one glass while eating food because the finish wouldn't sit on my tong. I guess that means I started strong? Either way, I have attended a handful of wine and cheese parties thrown by some great people. They always ended in a blur but no doubt I had an amazing time. For my 21st birthday, I flew out to California to visit my oldest brother and out of the deal I got an overnight in the amazing Napa Valley. We stayed at a bed and breakfast which drove us around we a handful of small vineyards to try out some wines. Lava vine, benessere and a vineyard owned by the daughter of Disney were some of the places we visited. I think the best part of this whole trip was that we went on a random Tuesday in March and there was no one there! Which means we had the wine tasting rooms to ourselves. We learned so much about how to taste wine, how to make wine and even got into some of the cellars! After that amazing trip, how could I not get into wine?
Speaking of wine, I will say that what I drink really depends on my mood and whether or not I will be eating with it. I have had some German Rieslings, but one glass is enough since they are so sweet. I have had Tempranillo and Malbecs but they taste much better with dinner (or as a second bottle). I grew up on Cabernet and it is still on my list but I have to say that my favorite wine to drink is a Chianti or a Chianti Classico (go to is by Ruffino). I don't know what it is, but I have never had a bad experience with Chianti. Since I can't really drink that in the dead heat of summer, I will throw in a Pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay every once in a while but the best way to have those is in a fruit soaked wine spritzer (I know girly right?). With that being said, I have a pretty good background in wine but I still have a long way to go.
(Warning: I have to add this in for my class)
Within my geo of wine class, there are many things that I hope to get out of it. First, this is my first class with Mr. Boyer so I really just wanted that experience since he is infamous at VT. Second, I know wines but I don't KNOW wines. I want to be able to compare the country and the type of wine and have an idea about what it will taste like. I want to know based on that idea, what foods would be best paired with it. And in the end, be able to choose wines from a seller that are different but know what I am getting into. Finally, this class is just a great excuse to drink wine. The only way I can get good at wines is by drinking them, and this class will force me to do. It will broaden my horizons and the next time I go out to Napa, I can show off my refined wine skills.
Now that you know all about my wine experience, let me just quickly tell you about my running life. I was never a runner before last summer when I convinced myself to sign up for a local half marathon. I read up on training and I build my own training schedule. After three months of it, I completed my first half in 2:05:45! Not too shabby for a first time! But I want to keep up my running by holding myself responsible for the next half marathon. I haven't decided which one I want to do but I am planning on sometime near the end of April. My goal: under 2 hours.
Now that you know a little bit about me, I hope you wish me luck on my journey through this semester!
~R.V.
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