Why "Drew's Wine List?"

Why Drew's Wine List?

     You may be wondering how you ended up here... well to be quite honest with you, I'm wondering the same thing. But since you're here, why don't you take a few minutes of your day and read some of this glorious wine blog written by a college kid!

Who am I?

I am Drew, a recently turned 21-year old who's in college at the University of Virginia up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I study ecology and music and spend my free time either singing or watching the 'hoos. People would probably describe me as "crunchy" if that gives you some insight into my personality. 

"You're in college, why don't you drink Busch Lite?" 

The burning question on everyone's mind... I'll explain a little more.

How did this wine thing start?

Let's step back a little. All throughout high school, I found myself obsessed with craft coffee. I was amazed at how drastically different coffee could taste and I found myself exploring various growing regions/climates. The tiniest change in elevation, soil, or temperature could unleash an entirely different flavor profile. So here I am- sipping on coffee constantly- when my family takes a vacation to Italy. This is ground zero for "the wine thing." 18-year old me was blown away. Wine was just like coffee, except to the extreme! Everything was so complex and unique... each grape varietal and region had such different qualities. And food made it even better! I was hooked again. As I went off to college, this passion for wine only continued to grow and I hope to be able to one day incorporate it into my studies of the environment.

What do I have in mind for this blog?

The main purpose of this blog is to show that firstly, wine is super exciting and unique, and secondly, that wine is accessible!

"Drew, wine is pretentious and I have to pay a lot to get a halfway decent bottle of wine." 

Wrong! Maybe 20 years ago I would have agreed with you, but we live in an era of wine that is so exciting. A younger class of winemakers/sommeliers (professional wine people) have taken over and are pushing the boundaries of wine. It is both more complex than ever and also cheaper/more accessible than ever! You don't have to go to a fancy importer to get a bottle of wine, you can pop over to a grocery store. I want people to know that you can find top-rated wines for just about the same price as a bottle of "cheap" wine.

I also want this blog to be a place where we can engage with each other and sometimes step out of our comfort zones to try something new. Will I guarantee that you're gonna like everything you try? No, of course not. But what if you find something that you love? 

I intend to post about wines that I've tried (no matter if I liked them or not) and work to "guide" y'all through some things that might help you enjoy the wine more. I've oftentimes found that if you can't figure out what exactly to look for, it can be really easy to get lost. This can lead to sentiments such as "red is red, white is white." That is what I hope to change! I want y'all to be able to comment and interact with both myself and others so that we can all discuss things that we liked or didn't like and grow together. Don't be mistaken, I'm not trying to discourage people from drinking "cheap" wine. Drink whatever makes you happy. I just hope that this can be a place where you can get a glimpse of how exciting wine can be.

"You're 21, what in the world do you know about wine?"

Probably a fair statement, but only one way to find out.

For the record, here's my actual list (which I may reference on occasion)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/13PSoBNx_w4UWvU5oSgBoUOgV7THbF1qrIQr7Nzu2Ru4/edit?usp=sharing

bere solo vino buono,
db