Wondering Through the World of Wine

  Curled up on my couch one day, my phone dinged announcing a new text. Clicking on it, I discovered some very magical words from a friend who was currently road tripping in the Midwest, “I have discovered this amazing winery in Kansas called Shiloh Vineyard.” I couldn’t believe my eyes. Five years ago, my husband and I had taken a turn off I-70 and took a small trek down a dirt road to discover this hidden gem of a winery called Shiloh Vineyards. Equal amounts of excitement for my friend, and jealousy that I wasn’t the one getting to experience this wonderful place, flooded through me.                Being the good friend that he is, he sent me a picture of the wine list and said he would be happy to bring me back any bottles I wanted. Selecting a couple, my favorite variety from last time and a new bourbon barrel aged red, I was astounded to discover that the barrel used for the red was from Boot Hill Distill...

As far as mornings go, it had started off perfectly with a delicious cup of coffee paired with the relaxation of reading a couple Wine Spectator articles. Starting on my next task of the day, I felt the floor drop out from under my feet when I logged into my email to clear out the usual promotional junk. Glaring at me in bold was an email from the Wine Education Institute labeled “WSET Exam Results.” Clicking on this email could result in one of two scenarios, a special, celebratory second glass of wine this evening, or another month of constant studying just to go through the horrors of another online exam.               I had toyed with the idea of working on my wine certification for a while before taking that first plunge in November 2021. It was the next logical step for me, and everything that was covered, from Cabernet to vine trellising, fascinated me. I had doubts, though. Did I really want to go back into a wor...