Hi everyone! I am Carson Anne Groves and I am excited to be taking Geography of Wine this semester! I grew up in the Episcopal Church, and therefore was having a little bit of wine during communion every single Sunday. My church was not the kind to offer grape juice either much to the disappointment of my younger self. There is a running joke that Episcopalians do not run from their alcohol, and I can confirm this having seen two year old's take a big swig from the wine chalice like they were knocking back chocolate milk. For a long time this was all of the wine I was exposed to. My parents are not big wine drinkers, but when they would indulge while I was growing up they would let me have a sip. I never enjoyed my sip. Ever. I thought I did not enjoy the taste of any wine.
When I got to college me and my friends would have Bachelorette Nights (nights when the reality TV show Bachelor or Bachelorette would be on) where we would all get together to watch and make fun of the show. What goes perfect with such occasion? Wine. My friends started bringing different kinds of wines for me to try and expose me to all the different varieties. I am still not a huge wine fan, but we have made some progress. Through their help I have found I like red wine more than white wine because I think white wine tastes like vinegar. To be honest their wine exposure therapy did not help that much in terms of exposing me to many different types of wine, because they brought a bottle one day that I actually really enjoyed, and it is now my go-to whenever I need wine. It is the Sutter Home Sangria, and it costs $4.99 at Food Lion. I actually enjoy the taste and it is cheap (which might play a large factor in my love of it). However, I am well aware of the fact that I can not drink $5 sangria for the rest of my life.
Through taking this course I am hoping to get some exposure therapy to different wines, and actually learn how to enjoy wine. There are so many different kinds of wine, and by having someone break down what each is, I think I can really learn what I do enjoy and what I do not enjoy. I am also excited to learn the lingo surrounding wine. I have no idea what the differences between a Chardonnay, a Merlot, a Pinot noir, and a Pinot grigio are. I know it has to do with the grapes, but that is about where my knowledge ends. I want to be able to know the differences besides the grapes. I also want to be able to hold conversations with other people about wine. I do not like being clueless about a topic, and clueless about wine I am. I am excited to actually learn some knowledge that will be abdicable in the real world! I am excited to learn about wine!
