It's Your Life. Live It!

If you had asked me a dozen years ago what kind of wine I liked, my response was likely, “Oh, I don’t know” or even “I don’t drink wine.” Then I met this guy from California. He knew wines. In fact, I think he saw my lack of knowledge as something of a challenge. A self-described “cork dork” he eschews the term “wine snob.” He says it sounds snooty and judgy — something he’s not. I teasingly disagree — when it comes to wines, he can definitely be snooty.

Lucky for us, we lived in Virginia. For those of you who don’t know, the Virginia wine scene is VERY robust. There are more than 400 wineries in the Commonwealth. There’s a Virginia Wine Pass that encourages holders to get out there and explore, taste, and revel in the delights of wine. Neighbors gave us one as a gift and we hit the ground running.

I sampled all the classics: Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, the Pinots – Gris and Noir. I learned the nuances of vintages with vertical tastings. I developed preferences. 

Greg and I had fun crafting imaginative descriptions of wines we tried. We let the bouquet of a particular glass transport us to the beach or the mountains. On vacation in California, we sampled wines in Temecula and laughed with one of the senior servers as we painted scenes invoked with each sip. After a couple of particularly innovative descriptions, he went in search of the winemaker. Our illustrations had them headed to “the back” for a vintage that had been declared an utter failure due to its particularly pungent aroma. They poured tastes from a bottle and asked what we smelled. “PHEW” … it was pretty awful. Greg sniffed, curled his nose, sniffed again and pondered. “Smelly wetsuit!” he proclaimed. The winemaker sniffed and grinned, “Oh my God, THAT’S IT!” he agreed. The story of that day remains one we love to share.

I came up with ways to describe tannins — the mouth-drying component of red wine caused by the skins, stems, and seed. I explained them to a friend this way: As you sip wine, tannins leave something akin to a sweater on your teeth. The thickness of the sweater is comparable to the heaviness of the tannins. Heavy tannins are like an Irish fisherman’s wool jumper – you want to brush your teeth to get that fuzzy feeling off. Light tannins can be barely there – like a fine cashmere. 

We creatively distinguished the differences between Chianti, Cabernet Sauvignon and Montepulciano D’Abruzzo. Chianti has an edge to it. It’s a little like a teenager. It wants to argue with your taste buds and throw a party. Cabernet Sauvignon is a mature conversationalist. It wants to sit in a comfy chair and have a conversation worthy of the upper crust. Montepulciano D’Abruzzo is somewhere in the middle. It’s older and more mature, but it still has a little youthful sass. It’s developed a sexiness; it flirts and chats easily. It’s kinda like us, so it should be no surprise we’re big fans of the wine from Greg’s ancestral region of Italy.

Friends started commenting on the change. One couple we knew regularly asked to come over to drink wine with us. Others brought wines they wanted to share and thought we would appreciate. The days of “two-buck-Chuck:” were a thing of the past.

Then … we moved to Arizona. Wine country in State 48 is a couple hours south of us rather than scattered all around us. There are tasting rooms in nearby Scottsdale and Cottonwood, but the wineries with their views and tasting rooms require a drive (and an overnight since we’re drinking). We crave the wine scene, but rebuff the distance. At an Art and Wine festival just before Covid, we stumbled on a booth offering International boutique wines. Liza poured us several tastes and we fell in love — with Liza and her wines! We ordered a case and became regular customers. We share our finds with friends and have hosted wine dinners in our home. We are regulars at her tasting room.

We plan vacations that include trips to (and even stays at) wineries. We sip, savor, and appreciate the experiences. It’s taken years to detect the subtleties of varieties. Both of us have favorites, but neither of us is ready to give up this journey of exploration. 

That’s us. How about you? We encourage everyone to explore their own tastes — in wine and everything else. If you like an ice cube in your Malbec or boxed Sauvignon Blanc is your jam, then so be it (you know who you are). We promise not to judge. (Okay, maybe just a little!)

©Judy and Greg Romano – All rights reserved.