My First Time Buying Wine

I found my way to wine relatively easily. At 21, after a lifetime of rum punch and underage drinking, I did the sophisticated thing and started drinking wine.

There was a liquor store close to my apartment in Silver Spring, MD, right at the Washington, DC border. They had an expansive wine section. Despite this, I started where most college students do…white zinfandel. I’m not ashamed of this choice. It was a pretty color- (I have a secret obsession with pink which surprises most people, it’s also what drew me to rosé which is made using the same process as white zinfandel-I digress…it was sweet, cheap and boozy. It hit all the right notes.

After a few weeks of my wine buying, the guy that worked in the wine department finally approached me and told me that it was time to try something new. I didn’t notice that he’d noticed, but apparently he had and was determined to open my mind a bit. After a few questions about what I liked (I didn’t know) and what I was cooking (something Jamaican), he inched me towards Riesling. After a few weeks, we moved over to Gewürztraminer. Some months later, I was exploring Cabernet Sauvignon.

Admittedly, I wasn’t at a place where I was seriously interested in wine the way that I am now. however, that experience taught me very early on that 1) It was ok not to know everything (or anything) 2) Be open-minded 3) Wine paired with food is beautiful 4) My palette could be stretched.

If you’re just getting into wine or have been drinking it cluelessly for years, I encourage you to find a great local wine shop and have a few conversations. Most people are excited to share their knowledge and help you chart your own adventure. If they aren’t, get the hell out of there and go somewhere else.