I was readingย The Juice by Jay McInerney and it got me thinking, why do I love wine? ย I wasn’t one of those kids that was brought up in a wine drinking family; truth be told my parents didn’t start drinking until I was in my teens, and even then the wine they enjoyed the most was Franzia White Zinfandel; that’s right, the stuff in the 5 liter box! ย I wasn’t one of the “artistic” kids, although I can play the guitar and drums and I found that even if you didn’t have a natural gift for it you could play either instrument with enough training. ย I was an “A” student when it came to Math and Science and a “B” student when it came to English and History, both of which are tremendously important in the wine industry, which begs the question, why do I love wine?
I came upon this job at Colonial Spirits through a friend of mine, who at the time was leaving to go back to Brasil and as such a position at the store was opening. ย My first job was stocking wine, which at the time was easier said than done thanks to the seemingly impossible task of reading French, Italian and German wine labels; ย I’ve gotten much better, and I understand why customers have a difficult time deciphering them. ย I would later get the job of bulk wine buyer (think Woodbridge and Barefoot), but after taking classes at Boston University, countless tastings and many hours of wine reading I was given the job of New World wine buyer. ย I can’t thank Tim and Steve enough for giving me the wonderful opportunity and for putting up with me. ย None of this, however, answers the question as to why I love wine.
When I was younger I set a couple of goals for myself. ย One of those goals was to know a little about as many topics as possible, but more importantly, I wanted to master one subject. ย To fully understand a bottle of wine, you have to first understand the winemaker, the vineyard, varietal (or blend), grape clone, root stock, ย topography, geology, climate, vintage, and how the wine was made. ย This sums up my understanding of wine because, although buying wine can be as simple as liking the label, it can also be as in-depth as you want it to be.
However, this love was not innate, it developed over time with lots of hard work and dedication. ย During my first few years working at the store, I have to admit, that all I wanted to do was come to work, do what I needed and go home; it was all business. ย But as the days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and months into years I began to appreciate wine to the point of love. ย I know this to be true because I becomeย ecstatic when I am able to identify a wine in a movie or TV show, or when I am able to help a customer and have them come back to thank me for myย recommendation. ย ย I also become really excited when fall arrives because that is when the distributors hold Grand Tastings and I’m able to try their best wines, alongside hundreds of other wines that I have neither tried or heard of. ย Needless to say, wine has become a centerpiece of my life, and I can’t see myself working with anything else.
In conclusion, I know that not everyone shares my sentiments, but there are plenty that do. ย So leave a comment and write your story, it will be fun to see how others have fallen in love with wine and the paths they took to get there.
“Tentaรงรฃo รฉย o vinho.” – Adriano Ramos Pinto
