Wine is Fun...

Wine is fun. It's true. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

Wine really doesn't need me to advocate for it. It's doing just fine. In fact, we Americans are drinking more wine now than even the French. And that's what the French do...wear berets, eat baguettes, watch Jerry Lewis movies, look down upon everyone, but especially uncultured Americans, and drink wine! Maybe you are drinking wine right now. That would be a spectacularly appropriate thing to do while reading a wine blog! If you're not, somebody somewhere surely is drinking a glass and/or whole bottle of fermented grape juice.

And really that's all it is. For as much as people make of it, and pay for it, and speak in hushed tones in fine dining establishments about it, at its core, it's only grape juice.

But be careful, this is one of the common lines of the wine snob in hiding. I've heard it a couple of times from people. They try to play it cool and make you believe that they are really and truly, actually low-key and easy-going about wine, but then they turn around and insult your unrefined palate. See, it's not cool to be a snob. Who's going to come right out and say, "I'm a big time snob who knows SOOOO much about wine and am going to laugh at your lack of refinement and love of grocery store wines with animals on the label." Some might come right out and say it, but most people like having friends. Don't get me wrong, there are certain unabashed wine snobs who aren't afraid to tell you how you aren't nearly as good of a taster as them. I've met someone who said these exact words. As egomaniacal and off-putting as that sort of elitism is, it's almost more respectable than the people who try to cover up their snobbery.

And it's because of people like this that the wine world, despite wine's popularity, seems so inaccessible and unwelcoming to most people. Answer this question for me that was recently posed in a bit on Conan O'Brien's show: In America, do we drink wine or beer? You know the answer, I know the answer. And I love beer! I do. But why is beer so popular? It's unpretentious. It's versitile. You can drink it at home while watching a ridiculous TV show, at the bar with your buddies, at a sporting event, and it pairs well with everyday affordable food. And it's marketed as the "everyman's" drink. And it has been for ages.

Wine has an image problem in this country, which is too bad. Some of the greatest wine in the entire world is produced right here in the USA. While we should be celebrating and promoting and enjoying this fact throughout the land, instead this information seems to be reserved for the select few: those with money, wine snobs, patrons of snooty fine dining establishments. When people want wine, they settle for what's at the grocery store or maybe something that Robert Parker, the man with the golden palate and creator of the infamous 100 point wine rating scale, recommendeds, because it's easier than getting judged by wine elitists.

I'm here to say enough is enough! There's no reason why people should be intimidated by wine. And I see it on an everyday basis at the restaurant I work at. People will act apologetic about their lack of wine knowledge or they will act immediately defensive about it, based on past experience. Some avoid wine all together for these reasons which is a shame. There are so many great things about wine. First of all, there are so many different types. Even most wine experts get tripped up from time to time because of this. Chances are, maybe you didn't like something you tried in the past, but there is a decent chance that somewhere out there is fermented grape juice that you'll love. That's half the fun of it!

Of course it goes great with food. But it doesn't have to be reserved for 5 star dining. I'll drink wine with anything. Chardonnay and In-and-Out burgers go really well together. Have you tried fried chicken and sparkling wine? Magical! Wine with Hot Pockets? I've never tried it, but why the hell not? Some combinations will work, some are bound to not be as good, but it's fun to be pleasantly surprised, and it's fun to take chances once in awhile.

And wine is a great social beverage. Like all alcoholic drinks, it loosens people up. It makes you want to talk, to spout grand plans, to conquer the world. It makes everyone more attractive and music more vibrant and dance-worthy. At least in my own experience, wine, more so than beer and especially more so than hard liquor, has a way of creating warm feelings, possibility, bonding, and happiness. It's the perfect beverage for social gatherings.

And so the point of this blog will highlight what makes wine so fun. It'll be about accessibility and enjoyment. It'll be about the social experience of wine, especially when the video podcast gets rolled out. More on that later. I want to highlight the people that are making wine that is affordable, yet interesting and accessible. I want to highlight wine stores and wine bars that are friendly and welcoming to everyone, not just wine snobs. And not only that, I want to know how they are making wine fun and accessible. I want to learn about local wines and those on the cutting edge of the industry.

I write this as someone with no wine certifications. I am not a sommelier, nor do I plan on becoming one. I have a decent amount of wine knowledge, but am by no means an expert. So I want to write what I learn as I go and hopefully share it in a way that is helpful to people who want to learn as well. I think learning about wine is fun and I want to present my experiences in a way that encapsulates this spirit. I'm not going to do the 100 point rating system. In my opinion, this system is horribly flawed. My palate and your palate and Robert Parker's palate are different. So even if Parker can detect flavors found only in the existential realm, it doesn't help me one bit because I don't have his palate. Something he pans may very well turn out to be my favorite. Something I may love, may be as pleasant to you as drinking paint thinner.

So rather than be the source for all-things-wine-ratings, I want to be a source for finding new avenues to explore wine. I want to provide you with interesting producers. I want to provide unexpected, but everyday useful, types of pairings. I want to bring you profiles of those people who really get it. Not just those who give lip service to actually getting it, but those who really do! And while most of the time, I want to keep the tone positive, I will call out wine douchery when I see it. There's no place for it anymore.

Expect the podcast to be ridiculous. Not only will we drink wine and talk about wine, but we'll enjoy ourselves far too much. I want it to be about that wonderful social side of wine. I hope to have special guests playing music and doing comedy or whatever else might fit. It'll be a wine podcast with a twist...the twist being it'll actually be fun rather than just watching one or two dudes swirling their glasses around and giving it a grade like they're scoring an algebra exam or something.

I want to be absolutely clear that I respect the wine world. I think there are some really great sommeliers out there who don't believe in talking down to people. And I respect the history of wine and the culture of wine and the supreme talents of grape growers and wine makers. That being said, it's time to get a little punk rock about the wine world. It's time to celebrate everything that makes it fun. It's time to go out and find bottles that anybody can afford and anybody can enjoy, whether you're having grilled rack of lamb or Ramen noodles with a side of Spam for dinner.

The wine revolution starts here and now. And it's based on the spirit, not of $1000 bottles of Bordeaux, but rather on the spirit of how it was most likely discovered in the first place. One of our gatherer ancestors probably left a bunch of freshly picked grapes out and yeast managed to do what it does...change the grape's fermentable sugar into alcohol. What a glorious discovery that must have been! The harsh, unforgiving life of early humans was suddenly a lot more pleasant and hopeful, I'm sure.

So with that, I hope you'll join me as a fellow wine punk to discover more hope and pleasantries that the world of wine has to offer. And to those who may disagree, that's fine, but please oh please, for the love of God and fermentable sugars, I say this to you in all sincerity: Don't be a douche, wine is fun!