Once Upon a Time...

... in the beautiful state of Texas, a woman started her blog.

So this is the very beginning. My first entry to my first blog. I'm very excited! I feel like a kid with a new toy. You should feel privileged too- like watching the first episode of a new show. But without all of the hype because, until now, you haven't heard anything about me.

I guess this brings me to a good starting point. My name is Allison but I'll be posting as wine dummy because, as the purpose of this blog is to share my stories of wine education, I don't know a whole lot. I know I like mainly reds and a few sweet whites (I save those mostly for when my husband is out of town). Oh, and reds are served room temperatures while whites should be chilled. But when it comes to smelling aromas in wines and tasting the complexities of a good wine, my wine knowledge ends. My hopes are to develop an even deeper appreciation of wine and to eventually brew my own wine- and be able to taste how good/bad it really is.

I mentioned earlier I live in the great state of Texas. I haven't been here all my life, just for the last few months. My husband's job brought us here in February and will take us away later this year. So while I'm not a Texan by nature, I say things like y'all, talk with a slight southern twang, own a sweet pair of cowgirl boots, and love a good glass of sweet tea. (Four and a half years of living in Mississippi helped this too.) Really I'm from Connecticut and my family laughs at me when I say y'all and think my boots are a little over-the-top. I prefer not to be called a Yankee because I was born and raised a Red Sox fan and it just seems sacrilegious, but I am a New Englander at heart.

I don't have a job right now because I quit to get an M.B.A. and now have no idea what I'd like to do with said degree. So here I am, picking up new hobbies, trying to figure out what it is, exactly, I'd like to do with my life. My other hobbies include running and working out, baking, eating all the good things I bake, reading, and plucking away at my guitar on occasion.

I am celebrating tonight's opening post with a few glasses of Chateau St. Jean's 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon. Ever since I visited Napa Valley in CA I've had a soft spot for Cabs so I grabbed this one when I saw it on display at the front of the grocery store. The label said it should have ripe plumb and spice aromas, "lush black cherry and crushed raspberry flavors with soft, supple tannis." Personally, I like it when the label tells me what I should taste because then there's a little bit better chance that I will.

So to truly appreciate the smell of wine you should fill your glass 1/3 of the way full (which is a shame because my husband and I bought the largest wine glasses we could so we could put as much in them as possible- we prefer to call them wine bowls), swirl it around, and take a long breath that fills your entire nasal cavity*. After many attempts I could sense the sweet smell, which I imagine is the plumb, and I think the tingling in my nose as the scent fully makes its way back there is the spice.

As for the flavors, I'm still at a loss. Perhaps this will become clear some day. I can, however, feel that this is a dry wine and a bit acidic. It's an OK wine, but I don't think I'd rush to get another bottle.

Anyways, that's it for tonight. I hope you enjoyed tonight's rambling and you come back for more soon!

*As I learned from Andre Domine's book, Wine, 2008.