Author: thewinetheoryspeaks

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.

Where it all began.

Adventures in Wine Shopping

They say variety is the spice of life, right? Well for me, this statement is especially true when I’m shopping for wine. 

In a perfect world, I would have a game plan and know exactly what I’m looking for. But I’m gonna keep it 100 with y’all. I usually spend way too much time in the aisles looking at EVERYTHING. Which means I end up with a little of EVERYTHING.

My last wine shopping trip yielded a few goodies that I want  to share with you guys. 

*All wines featured retail for under $20

  • Josh Cellars | 2019 Legacy | Red Blend | Hopland, CA | 14% ABV
  • Bread & Butter | 2020 Rose’ | Napa, CA | 12.5% ABV
  • Murphy Goode | Liar’s Dice | 2015 Zinfandel | Sonoma County | 15.5% ABV
  • Odd Lot | 2018 Petite Sirah | Petite Verdot | Monterey County | 13.5% ABV

As you can see, I’ve already put a dent in the Odd Lot (Spoiler: it’s really good) I’ll tell you guys about that one very soon.

How do you shop for wine? Please tell me I’m not the only one who spends an insane amount of time perusing the aisles.