On 4 May 2012, I began this chapter of my life, writing about my enjoyment of wines.  I realize in the big picture, it doesn’t amount to much, but I have had fun, and hopefully in the now thirteen years, others have found some articles that have made them smile. The first year, I actually wrote an article every day, just to get used to writing since it had been many years when I was a student and had to write. After the first year, I made my life easier and published every other night, and a little over a year ago, I became a slacker and now publish every third night. This will be my 2,455 post on the blog, which is also down on Facebook, and I started an Instagram account and now all the locations get published on the same evening and it will be number 5,057 there.   Now I am still a student, but I am not writing to curry a grade, but for my own satisfaction.  The conceit of my writing is that I envision myself talking to another at a table, as we are sharing a bottle of wine.  I don’t lecture about wine, but I write about how the average person decides on a glass of wine, sometimes very unexciting and sometimes extremely exciting; it just depends on the venue and the mood of the moment.

Over the years I have had plenty of people point out the fact, that I have no credentials or designations, that I have never been in the wine trade; and how dare I write about wine.  Those points are all true, and that is why I have never attempted to lecture to anyone about wines, I will make suggestions, sometimes I may grimace and make faces, and I know that is terrible, but everyone has to learn about wines, in their own manner.  I like to say that even bulk wines can be the steppingstones for the curious to find out what the better wines can taste like.  I certainly did not start drinking wine at the top of the heap, in fact, growing up in Detroit which is a factory town, there were only a handful of restaurants that really had a wine carte in my youth, and I really started my exploration when I was sixteen, it is amazing how a well trim mustache makes one look older.  I remember growing up having the chance to savor home-made “Dago Red” wine made in people’s basements and fined with eggs whites, and for years, that particular after taste haunted me.  And after all of these years, I have bestowed with the honorary title of “Street Somm” as I am sure that I could never pass an exam, as I am too ornery and bit of a curmudgeon at my age to attempt such scholarly pursuits.

Though I am proud of the fact that I am now starting another year of writing my anecdotes and my assessments of wines.  When I grew up, learning from people that had  wine knowledge, a great review was “that is a delightful Medoc” or “that is what every Chianti should taste like.”  People didn’t gush about cocktails, beer or wine, back in the day, as it sounded pretentious or putting on airs.  Actually, growing up, there were probably more beers or glasses of Chevas consumed with a steak, then there were bottles of wine.  I persevered, because as a teenager I was enraptured how wine was presented in cinema, as something special and I thought that I should discover this special Nectar of the Gods.  To this day, I am still learning and discovering, though now I endeavor to pass on my thoughts to others, right, wrong or indifferent.  And there are times, when I even drive my Bride to drink, as she has to wait, until I take that photograph of the bottle and the wine glass for the blog.