The Wines of Change

 

Change is such an interesting concept. It doesn’t matter if it is a good change or a bad, a big change or a small, most humans are hesitant to take the step for fear of the unknown.

              I have experienced a lot of changes in my life lately, with the most important one being introducing a new dog into our family. All of these changes have been good, and all of them have been stressful. As I have navigated through these shifting winds, it has truly fascinated me how one little life alteration can simultaneously bring a flutter of excitement and a pang of panic, making me feel like I am on a never-ending rollercoaster. Then, as the dust settles and life flows into a new routine, I am amazed that what caused so many emotions a week ago now feels normal, like it has always been. All of this reflection weirdly got me thinking about my palate and the changes it has gone through during my journey as a wine consumer.

              Looking back at 21-year-old Kacia makes me laugh. As I discovered the bar scene, my drinks of choice included amaretto sours, strawberry daiquiris, bellinis and margaritas. My tastes have changed so much that I can’t imagine drinking a single one of these beverages today. Well, except for the bellini. If I was with my mom at a Johnny Carino’s, I would enjoy indulging in a peach bellini for no other reason than happy nostalgia. Wine at this time, besides those sweet wines served at holiday dinners, was barely on my radar. This, of course, changed.

              As I have mentioned above and in previous blogs, my wine journey started out with sweet wines. Peach Chardonnay, Apple Riesling, Riunite Lambrusco, these were my jams. This started to change during my last year in college. There was, and still is, a bar in Fort Collins called The Crown Pub. My friends and I liked going there because it didn’t have that college party vibe so many others in Old Town did. We felt sophisticated when there, and we all liked to try and one-up each other on who was the most worldly. I distinctly recall that I liked to drink Guiness and talk about how I had been to Ireland, therefore I had enjoyed “real” Guinness. As if Guinness in the US isn’t real. We were such putzes back then. Anyways, one late Friday afternoon after work and class, we found ourselves at The Crown Pub. I decided to change things up and order a glass of red wine. I honestly cannot remember what type it was, though it was most likely a Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot Noir, as those were wines I could pronounce. Whatever it was, it blew in the wine of change for me. I remember liking how it tasted. I remember liking the feel of its weight and the way it rolled across my tongue. I remember liking the simple pleasure it brought to me. This wasn’t something you pounded down looking for more, especially on a student budget, it was something you sipped and savored while having a great conversation with friends.

              This little unknown glass of wine sparked my curiosity. This led to those same friends and I having a Friendsgiving before heading out for the holidays and thinking we were fancy by picking up a couple of bottles of Yellow Tail. From there came ordering glasses of wine with dinner and at bars, always the cheapest glass. It led to liquor stores and getting a bottle that boasted a just out of college and on a serious budget price. Cupcake Vineyards, Barefoot Wines and Apothic Wines, I had and loved them all. With each and every glass and bottle, I became more enamored with wine.

              Then came the bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from a pilot friend of my dad’s and that game-changing glass of Cabernet Sauvignon from Snowy Peaks Winery. I still love the simpler wines I consumed during those earlier days, but these two bottles opened my eyes to a whole new world. I remember being amazed by the variety of distinct flavors in each of these wines, how those flavors stayed in my mouth long after my sip was gone, and how there wasn’t an ounce of sweetness in them. Thus started my quest for dry and flavor-filled wines.

              During this time in my wine life, I discovered a lot about my taste preferences and also had some serious dumb moments. At first, I decided I only liked dry red wines. So much so, that I remember making the bold statement that I would only drink this style, and that I just did not like white wine. Oh, poor silly past Kacia… Thanks to this declaration, I ended up with a lot of reds I pretended to like even though they left my mouth feeling like sandpaper, and I know I missed out on a lot of great whites. Eventually, I got smarter, and with a better budget I now had the ability to attend wine festivals, gravitate to the next shelf level at the liquor store, and visit tasting rooms. With some gained maturity, I branched out, my tastes changed, and I really started to understand what I wanted in a wine.

              This wine self-discovery led me to see that when it came to reds I did like dryer wines, but I liked my tannins either chalky or silky. I also enjoyed those “jammy” wines many critics tend to sneer at. Some of the tasting notes I looked for included black cherry, plum, blackberry, blueberry, fig, leather, cigar box, and graphite. If the wine boasted flavors of raspberry, orange or orange peel, and mineral, there was a chance it wasn’t going to be my favorite. I also gulped down tons of Merlot as a snub to all those haters out there, and I fell in love with California Pinot Noir, while not being overly excited by the Oregon style. For my whites, Riesling became my go-to, and I avoided Sauvignon Blancs and Viogniers like they were the plague. I wouldn’t touch a sweet wine or a port/dessert style wine. No thank you.

              This trend went on for a while, but the winds of wine have shifted in recent years. I still gravitate to those bolder reds, but I have found myself appreciating the more elegant, minerally wines with good acidity, yes, the ones with raspberry and orange as a tasting note. They go amazing with food. I still enjoy Riesling, but my new favorite white has to be Chardonnay, in all of its varied styles. I have also been buying up Viogniers and Sauv Blancs like crazy lately. I seriously don’t know what it is about Viognier, but yum. What about sweet and dessert wines? As I have opened myself up to trying new things, I have discovered some much-loved treasures in this category. For sweet wines, there are so many bottles out there that have coursing acidity and structure that help to enhance the quality of the plush tasting notes, while maintaining a balance that allows for the sweetness without that cough syrup feel and taste. The same can be said for dessert wines. The styles available are endless, it’s just about finding the right one. For me, that includes Sauternes and Banyuls. I truly love a good Sauternes. I haven’t experimented too much with port, but as I have a love affair with Portugal, it is my goal to try the options at an upcoming Wine Spectator Grand Tour Tasting I will be attending. Maybe I will find one that calls to me.

              The point of all of this rambling is that in life and wine, change can lead to good things. If I hadn’t opened myself up, I would have never got Lily, the goofiest dog around. I would have never found myself in a Nebraska winery known for sweet wines, buying up numerous bottles of deliciousness. Taking a plunge can open so many doors to a happiness we never knew existed. I hope this blog has helped to motivate you to go out and try a wine you would have never considered in the past. You may just find that your taste buds have changed and you have a new wine love in your life. I say cheers to the wines and events that bring change into our lives!