Post Garage Sale Wine Tasting w/Friends

After all the haggling was over and my belongings were sold, it was time to "WINE DOWN!" BTW, if you've never had a garage sale, beware of most, if not all, of the visitors. They almost always ignore the start time, and then want your wares for pennies! My good friend and wine comrade Marilice made me privy to this, and thankfully, she suggested that I keep the garage doors shut until the posted start. Good thing I listened to her, because there was a “flock” of early birds (I'm being kind) pecking at my door at least an hour before "Grae's Goods" were available for purchase. Who knew there were "professional" garage sale goers?

What made this wine tasting particularly enjoyable was not just the lineup of the wines, but that it was experienced both with old friends that I hadn’t seen in a very long time and with a couple of special new ones. For me, one of the greatest pleasures of wine is sharing it. When I asked Dexter (new friend) what he thought about the wine being served, he said that he did not know much about wine, and that since this was his first actual tasting, he felt unqualified to comment. He then called himself a "newb" (definition of a newb, or newbie = a person who is doing something for the first time and doing it poorly). Sadly, this feeling is common for a lot of people when it comes to wine - they feel intimidated to voice their opinions.

You don't need to be a graduate of the International Wine Center with a "Masters in Wine" to enjoy or comment on it, just like you don't need a degree from the NY Film Academy to enjoy or critique a movie. What I would suggest, however, is that you try many different wines from different countries before you declare which country's juice is your favorite. How should you do this? Here comes the pitch! You can join my monthly wine club (click here), where you will receive a different wine from a different region and/or country each and every month, or you could attend wine tastings throughout your area (click here), or both. Needless to say, I cast my vote for both :) !