Ben, I attnend some wine dinners occationally in my area. It can be amazing
how wines can influence foods but more likely how foods influence wines.

Also, I have noticed that a French Bordeaux or Burgandy has a hard tome
following the more fruity California wines. So order of serving does make a
differnece and what it is served with.

Finally UC makes many a good point in this group and is a contributor. You
may or may not like what he posts but he does speak his mind. I think from
looking at his posts over the months there is a common thread in them. You
don't have to be a snob to enjoy wine. Wine is for enjoyment. Don't get
stressed out by it. I tend to agree with him on that. You will find
postings here on the most expensive wine have you bought, currently own in
value etc. UC is correct that wine does not have to be about snobbery.

Hope you enjoy the group.





"Ben Snyder" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks everyone for the welcome and info. This thread's going to get
> buried so I'm hopping off now...
>
> Oh yeah, thanks to UC also. He's fun to play with. I imagine he's this
> cranky, self-referential expert in all matters. But at least he pipes up
> and says what's on his mind, rude or not. I have to respect that, in a
> way.
>
> -ben
>
> Ben Snyder wrote:
>> Hello all
>>
>> Since I've asked a couple questions recently, I thought it would be a
>> good idea to introduce myself.
>>
>> I'm a married guy (wife and four kids) in southern Vermont, USA. I've
>> loved wine since I was old enough to drink it, though never really got
>> too far into it. Started a very small collection, totaled about a case,
>> about six years ago. At the time I liked Beaujolais-Villages, some light
>> Cabs, and number one was Alsatian Gewurztraminer. After moving to VT and
>> keeping only a few bottles from the collection, I found no one to enjoy
>> wine with. Wife doesn't drink at all.
>>
>> Several months ago, my brother-in-law watched Sideways. He was so
>> inspired by it that he came to visit, and declared we will now be wine
>> aficionados. OK, no problem here. Since then, every week I have hosted
>> a wine tasting/family meal for both of our families. Which is excellent,
>> I love to cook, and of course wine :-)
>>
>> The good part of this is obvious - someone to enjoy wine with. Hardest
>> part was getting brother-in-law off of the Pinot kick. Tasting pinots
>> side by side every week gets a little tedious. Sideways, I love you and
>> hate you... But thankfully now we have branched out into different wines.
>> When I purchase a bottle of white, it's usually not embraced with open
>> arms, though it does get tasted and enjoyed. The rose I have for today
>> is really going to cause a stir...
>>
>> I happen to prefer reds as long as they are not too tannic, pretty much
>> equal preference between a French style and California style. For
>> whites, I still enjoy the rose and lychee nose of a good Gewurz, and
>> Sauvignon Blanc on occasion. Only had one Chard which I enjoyed, but it
>> was really, really good. I'm learning more about French wines, but
>> Italian wines are still a mystery to me. And mostly I stick to the
>> mid-grade wines, with the rare foray into the upper-mid grade offerings.
>>
>> After I get some more experience with coherent tasting notes, I'll be
>> posting them.
>>
>> -ben