Yup, that's right. I'm a certified WHINO now! Har, har!
No, but seriously, I've never been much of a wine drinker. Like with beer, the taste is just something I've never acquired. But unlike beer and hard liquor, wine is at least smoother going down.
However, while we were in Paris, I had a glass of red wine (or two, or three) with EVERY evening meal. Because, hey, when in Rome . . .
Anyway, at the airport on the way home, I stopped in the duty-free shop and purchased two bottles of Bordeaux. But once I got home and realized just how much I was missing France, I decided to honor the country by partaking of some of its home-grown libations right away. Wow, and what a treat that was!
Now I'm hooked. Well, okay, not hooked. I don't want to come across like an alkie. But I have to say it's really not so bad. I went to a wine store and purchased several different bottles and varieties, mostly from France. And mostly from the Bordeaux region, at that. I threw in a few Napa Valley Merlots and Pinots for variety, but mostly stuck with the French stuff as much as possible.
Funny, before our trip I would have sworn by Italian wine only, even though I know next to nothing about wines. I just figured if I ever did drink the stuff, I would prefer the Italian variety. This may still be the case as I've yet to really explore the offerings from that country. For now, though, I'm focusing on French grapes. Eventually I figure I'll move on to those on the other side of the Alps. Probably whenever we decide to tour Italy, I'd imagine.
Anyway, as you can see from the picture, I've amassed quite a good beginner's collection. The whites and roses are on the bottom row, the moderate-priced reds are in the middle . . . and the expensive stuff is on the top. I probably won't touch the top row except on special occasions. For now, I'm drinking only one glass of red a night with dinner. Lisa hates wines, but she can somewhat tolerate a good rose or Pinot Gris on occasion, so that's what I got her.
So far I'm liking it. Along with the wine rack, I purchased a device that preserves open bottles of wine by vacuuming the air out through the use of specialized re-corkers provided (see the picture below).
You simply insert the rubber plunger into the mouth of the bottle, then take the WineSaver and stick it into the small nozzle at the top of the plunger. Press the button and it sucks the air right out! Haha . . . the simple things that amuse me! :) This device preserves an open bottle of wine for 2 - 3 weeks. Should come in handy, I think.
I'm going to try to educate myself along the way and develop a palate for this stuff if at all possible.
We shall see!