Wine Lover
I love wine. Like really really love wine. When I was in college, I spent a semester in Sevilla, Spain and that’s where it happened. Up until that point, I enjoyed the occasional sweet white wine, but it wasn’t until I was living in Spain, in an apartment a few floors up from a wine store, that I fell. in. love. Yep. I lived right above a wine store. It was AMAZING!
I went from casual wine drinker that knew nothing about wine (except that if I drank enough, I’d get drunk) to regular wine drinker that still knew nothing about wine except that I LOVED it! I got to try a lot of different kinds, but eventually learned that I preferred red over white and that I liked stronger reds with some kick over the softer ones. The sweet old grandfather type that owned the shop totally took me under his wing and always had a recommendation for me for me to try. I’m pretty sure he thought I was adorbs, in a grandfatherly sort of way, you know? I mean, who wouldn’t love the American who spoke Spanish with a Mexican accent and was totally clueless about wine but excitedly tried anything he put in my hands?
This may or may not sound blasphemous to you, depending on your snob level when it comes to wine. But I’m an equal opportunity wine taster/lover, so I didn’t think twice about trying this bevvie. In southern Spain, one of the most popular drinks is called Tinto de Verano (aka Summer Red Wine) and it’s DELICIOUS. In a region that goes well into the triple digits on a daily basis in the summer AND that is famous for its red wine, having a refreshing wine option is KEY for those long afternoon lunches! So what is it? Red wine and flavored soda. Yup. My personal fave was orange soda, but you could get grape, lemon/lime or coke too. Maybe more, I don’t remember. It was 17 years ago and I drank on a daily basis and lived above a wine store. Sometimes I think it’s a miracle that I remember ANY of it, or even made it home alive with all the shenanigans we would get into. Don’t judge! 🙂
Anyways, if you’re open to it, try it out! Half red wine, half orange soda. Toss in some fruit if you want to give it a sangria twist. Trust me. I introduced this to my husband back when we were dating and he still drinks it to this day. I’m not so much a soda drinker anymore, so I’ve backed way off, but I’ll steal a few sips of his and I’m instantly transported back in time and halfway across the world to a hot afternoon where I’m gossiping with my girlfriends at a cafe, munching on fresh calamari and sipping a Tinto de Verano. Sigh. What a carefree time!
Fast forward back to the good ole US of A! My Tinto de Verano addiction held strong for awhile after I came back home, but so did my enjoyment of a good glass of red wine- no soda added! There was little I loved more than wandering around a wine store and grabbing the bottle with the coolest label and not quite the cheapest price but maybe the one right above that? I may or may not have developed a wine reputation at the ripe old age of 22 🙂 I was totally The Wine Lover in my friend group. I’m pretty open minded and adventurous in general and especially with food and wine- I’ll try anything, but I also know my faves. Beyond that? Tannins? Flavor profiles? Wut?! I just know what I like to taste. That’s about it. And I feel like that’s all you really need to know when you’re drinking wine! There’s no right or wrong way to drink wine, just taste enough to know what you enjoy and what you don’t!
My husband and I had just gotten married and our jobs were kind of falling apart for a lot of reasons. We were living in Atlanta at the time and decided it was TIME. TO. GO. So he started applying for new jobs and interviewing all over. Eventually, he got offers from a winery in California and OceanSpray in Nevada. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NO CONTEST!!! Sorry juice company, you didn’t stand a chance! So now we’re living in California, drinking all the wine AND LOVING IT!
Aside from that reason, it seems like California was in my destiny. When I told my parents we were going to move to California, my mom just laughed and said “Of course you are. I always knew you’d end up there someday!” I was like “…How??” She reminded me that when I was about 3 years old, I named all of my stuffed animals California and when people would ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, for years I would say “Miss Piggy because she lives in Hollywood and she’s an actress and famous!” My mom said no one really knew how to respond to that other than laugh awkwardly and pat my head. If that doesn’t tell you anything about me, I don’t know what will.