98…99…100!

I began drinking wine when I lived in Washington State.

At twenty-three years old, I was a screw driver drinker. That was my drink of choice. I had just gotten out of the service, and an absolute horrible and possibly illegal relationship and I was working in my first “real world” job. My boss had been an officer in the service and I always thought that he hired me because he had a special place in his heart for me. Not in a weird #metoo kind of way. A real mentor. I had never held an office job, but he understood that the underlying qualification for the position was personality. And I had it.

My interview panel consisted of a retired Naval Officer, a retired Marine Officer and a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergant. I’m not kidding, they would also become my future bosses. I reported to all three of them in separate, interconnected, projects. I knew I was underquilified for the position but I charmed the shit out of the three of them at my interview. I was smart and capable, but more importantly, I listened. My main boss, the Marine, had a lovely wife that had been and always was very lovely with me. At one point that woman had worked in the male federal prison system teaching GED classes. She is still a bad ass!

Well, one time she invited me over for a dinner party. They had this beautiful house over looking the Puget Sound, and we talked about food, neighborhoods, work, relationships, and wine. Also, I will never forget this, as I was leaving, I walked right into the screened door. In front of everyone. I had never been so embarrassed, nor have I been since then. But the bright side of that night is that Ms First Boss introduced me to Chateau Ste Michelle wine.

I loved it.

I love it so much that, that it is my go to wine. Whenever I don’t want to find something to drink, I grab a Chateau Ste Michelle Sauvignon Blanc for the husband and a Pinot Grigio for me. They have a brand new Rosé, and I have to say, it is very good. I love it so much, that I have been to their vineyard, spent an irresponsible amount of money on wine, was happy about it and cannot wait to go back.

I love it so much that this is not a sponsored post.

As I’m getting older, I’m preferring my whites extra dry compared to just a few years ago. I will drink rieslings, but I probably wont buy them anymore. With one exception, The Eroica, by Chateau Ste Michelle. The first time I tried it, I thought to myself oh! this is what wine is supposed to taste like! It was at the vineyard, and for a long time that was the only place you could find it. But now, while still rare, some places do carry it. I don’t buy it that often because it is a litttle pricey. But it is a delicious refreshing wine, with subtle hints of citruses. Not as sweet as most rieslings. It is my favorite wine.

The other day a saw a bottle and I grabbed it. We opened it. As I sipped it, it did reminded me of the wet, grey, drizzling, spring day at the vineyard with my mother and some old friends. I remember because I’m the type of catholic that heads to the vineyard the day the last pope died, John Paul II. We did a tour and a tasting and all the regular tourist things, but it was this bottle. It was this wine that made me want to try more wines.

It was this bottle that made me want to drink more wine.

We drank the bottle the other night, and it is more delicious now than it was then. Now I know that it wasn’t easy to get where it is. Now I now how much the grape had to go through. I know what the farmer does and how little he is respected for it. I know that the taste of the wine is 100% dependent on the winemaker’s dedication (I know this, because I have made wine!). This wine has been around for a long time and it has gone through some changes. As everything inevitably does. But if you’re good, strong and people love you, as a wine, you will survive. It’s the wine that I love and that I will always love.

I have a birthday coming up, and I have to say… I am aging like fine bottle of wine.

Cheers!