Exploration of Wine Culture

Finally, pictures of my wine class!

We taste three wines each time, and learn about viticulture, enology, the history of wine (which deals extensively in one of Tuscans’ favorite topics, the Etruscans), and the culture of wine production and consumption in Italy.

My teacher is always asking me, “Is this how they do it in California?” She assumes, naturally, that enology was bred into me, as much a part of me as the taste of frozen yogurt and fresh carnitas. I explained that I’m not 21 yet, and thus not very experienced, and that in fact, I only drink wine with either with my parents (pretty good wine) or my friends (very bad wine).

But she continues to ask, so I’ve started to research on Wikipedia the various aspects of wine-making, rather than relying on my very patchy knowledge gleaned from a couple wine tours in Napa and along the Russian River. I have to keep up my California reputation! Otherwise, I would have to begin to go through one of those paltry identity crises, realizing in a foreign country that I’m nt more Californian than Baltimorean, that in the face of the sensitive and deeply-ingrained Italian tradition my idea of “culture” doesn’t mean that much anyway, and that when I come home I face days of unpacking, repacking, and moving again.

And who wants to think about all of that? So I research, and uphold my state's reputation, and meanwhile, learn a lot about wine.

I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty great at this class. Our midterm is going to be blind tasting—bring it on.