All you need is love, right?

Where there is no wine, there is no love.”

-Euripides

My love affair with wine started with my first sip of Chateauneauf-du-Pape. I was visiting my sister in New York and she took me to a restaurant in Manhattan. I don’t even remember what restaurant it was but, it was after hours and the bar was only open to “industry” folk. At the time, my sister worked in fine dining. She was “industry” folk.

The bartender happily poured a taste of this and a taste of that. I was in heaven. Then my sister goes, “Try this” and before I knew it, the flavors and aromas from this new red wine, just blew me away. This wine was none other than, Chateauneauf-du-Pape. It was bold. It was dynamic. But it was also smooth with luscious fruit flavors. I think it was the first time that I had ever noticed the flavor and aroma nuances in wine. It was mind-blowing.

We went on to taste more wines and finished with a Bonny Doon dessert wine. This night is truly one of my fondest wine memories.