Be a WineKnow

I didn’t know anything about wine. How could I? My parents were teetotalers, and underage kids drank cheap beer, not snooty wine.

After college, my first job was at an investment bank in Chicago. That’s when my lack of wine knowledge (WineKnow) began to irritate me. If I went on a date, I felt hopeless when I scanned the restaurant wine list and made my selection based on price. At a client event, the sommeliers took advantage of my ignorance by steering me towards overpriced wines.

So I started reading. A lot. Zraly’s “Windows on the World” wine course, MacNeil’s “Wine Bible,” Decanter and Wine Spectator magazines and so much more.

I also started drinking. A lot. I found the pace of wine drinking enjoyable (not too drunk too fast, not too sober too long). I found the myriad styles of wine exciting. But most importantly, I discovered that understanding wine wasn’t that hard.

All that reading and drinking has transformed me into a “wine expert.” I’m not a Master of Wine or Certified Sommelier. I haven’t taken any tests. But I have tasted thousands of wines, toured dozens of wine regions and geeked-out like crazy.

I’m here to offer you shortcuts. To teach you a few little things that vastly expand your comfort in the wine world. My mantra is simple:

“Making better-informed and more adventurous wine buyers and drinkers.”