The wine buyer at my local market recently asked me how I started my journey of wine and food pairing.  Part of the story is that I kept a fully loaded 75-bottle wine refrigerator in my kitchen and paired every single night for five years.  I tracked every meal, who was there, what we ate and what wines I opened.  I rated each wine on sight, smell and taste.  I noted where I bought it, price, it’s region, classification, date tasted and wine maker notes.  My buddy, the wine buyer said, “you were obsessed!”

I never thought about being obsessed but I look back now and smile.  I saw it as necessary to learning.  The only hard part was keeping the fridge stocked with a wide variety of wine types. It took constant planning and purchasing to make sure I had German, Chilean, French, American, Italian, Australian, New Zealand (etc.) wines in all the varieties. (I also kept a double shelf of dessert wines.)

For me, it was an awesome way to start a journey.  (I became a better cook too.)  After all that intensive tasting and studying, I know about 1/16 of a billion about wine.  But I gained some valuable knowledge.

Here’s what I know about wine…

• my palate, e.g., what I enjoy.
• that I have little interest in drinking wine without the thrill of pairing it with food.
• how to describe what I smell and taste.
• how a glass changes the wine tasting experience.
• that my palate has changed over time (matured?)
• an open mind is the most important part of the wine experience.
• not to drink too much while evaluating wine–alcohol inhibits my abilities.
• that as long as I live, there will be more to learn.

I hope my readers enthusiastically and fearlessly keep learning and trying new wines.  I can’t think of any other thing that comes in so many “shapes and sizes” so-to-speak.  On that note, I’m headed for Germany next month to drink German Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc.  See? The world of wine is a constant surprise!