I first discovered wine out of my hatred for beer. Then, I discovered good wine out of my hatred of cheap wine. My "like" of wine as a nightly treat from Trader Joes evolved into a grapey passion when I moved to the bay area 7 years ago, and found myself within a 30 minute drive of some of my favorite wineries in the world. I struggled at first to believe that the wine makers weren't trying to BS me when they said things like "essence of hickory and leather" or "floral on the nose, honey on the tongue." I wanted to know what they meant - so I read The Wine Bible a few years ago and it completely shifted my perspective on the wine experience itself, from annoyance of snooty sommeliers to total reverence of a complex industry.
What fueled my interest in this elective is the same thing that inspired me to learn to code. My daily world runs on a language I don't understand...I should probably learn to understand it. Similarly, there's a language of wine, and an entire industry behind it, with complexities I haven't even considered. I'm taking this class to become more fluent in a product I consume, and enjoy, almost daily.
I deeply admire the craft beer movement but share your status as a "non-beer drinker." And I love your quote about learning to understand the "language" of wine.
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