life's important lessons.

happy thursday friends.
the gorgeous hannah from maple & shade asked me to do a guest post on my recent wine travels.
i thought it would be rude of me to not share with you my words of wisdom on 5 very essential life lessons.

Numero Uno:  Wine Tasting is subjective.  Don't let anyone make you feel dumb, ever!  My taste is going to be completely different than your taste and so on.  So if your buddy's most favorite Riesling tastes like urine to you (Riesling does to me), don't be afraid to tell him!  Ask questions and give your input.  Whatever you do, don't act superior, and have fun. Duh.

Number 2:  You know when the waiter pours you a bit of wine to "try" before serving?  Well, you don't actually need to drink it.  One big fat whiff will be able to tell you if the wine is good or bad. After your glass has been poured and before you've taken a sip, see if you can identify 2 smells.  Scent is your most powerful sense and will help in your wine tasting.

Number 3: After you've smelled, take a sip.  Now swirl that glass up!  I was so surprised to see how often the wine experts would swirl their glasses.  Get crazy just keep the wine in the glass. This lets the aromas breathe and really brings out the flavors.  You'll notice that the wine might smell and taste different after you've opened it up, which is a good thing!

Number 4: During this whole process, share with your friends what you smell, taste, and experience.  You might hit on points that they've missed. Where does your mouth feel acidity? How long is the after taste? Read the label and talk!  This all helps you remember the vino you are tasting. If the wine makes you feel like running through a cornfield naked, so be it!

Number 5: Sometimes, after a good swirlin', people like to show off their legs.  Ow, ow!  I hate to break it to ya, but those legs mean nothing.  The number of legs does not indicate any quality to the wine.  They purely tell you how much alcohol content is in the bottle.  And maybe when it's time to call a cab...