4 ways to fall in love with wine
when the media tells you it's out of vogue
It is my mission to make wine feel interesting and accessible for all people, and writing is just one of the many ways I can think of to do that.
If you want to taste some wines at your apartment this winter, that’s a great way to do it. If you want me to curate your wine fridge for the season, that’s another. If you want me to put together a wine-centric itinerary for your next holiday, that’s another. Wine Ideas are endless and your support helps keep it that way.
Rumor has it, people are drinking less wine these days.
While you may think it’s in my best interest to convince you that wine is good for you and you should drink more, it’s not really how I feel. Wine plays an active and additive role in my balanced lifestyle, alongside lots of water, daily exercise, leafy greens, and deep sleep. I want that for you, too! If it doesn’t feel additive in your life, that is totally fine and I’m not here to convince you otherwise.
I never want you to drink more wine than you want to drink. I want you to drink better wines than you ever thought possible with whatever budget you’re working with.
When the media sends you panicked headlines, like “wine sales are down 1000000%!!!” I think it’s cool to remain calm. Do not judge your friends for drinking mocktails on your nights out, do not force anyone to drink with you, but peacefully engage with the wines you enjoy in a way that feels authentic to you. It’s cool to love what you love, even if “gen-Z” isn’t loving it as much. If you love wine, drink wine.
I wanted this to be a list of 5 only because I think 5 is a better number for a list than 4. But my truth is that I couldn’t come up with a great 5th step. So here are 4.
These are some ways to fall in love (or back in love) with wine when the mainstream media wants to convince you it’s out of fashion.
1. Find a great local wine shop and develop a relationship.
Shopping local is always in fashion.
A great shop will keep your purchase history, recognize you when you walk in the door, and know what to suggest for your next bottle or case. They’ll understand the assignment, understand the budget, and understand your taste as your relationship develops.
Just a few months working in wine retail gave me deep appreciation for the hospitality that a great retail experience provides. Lean into that, and treat your salesperson like you would your sommelier. Ask questions, try new things, accept suggestions.
2. Share bottles with people you love.
Wine is bottled in 750mL for a reason: it is meant to be shared.
It’s not so much about leaning on the alcohol to make you a social animal, but about allowing the shared experience of a bottle to connect you and your people. Allow it to connect you with your own memories of meals, travels, experiences, and relationships. Wine is transportive and connective and we (or at least, me) are all desperate to get out and away from our screens and into real in-person human connection with tangible things that awaken our senses. Wine is that for me. Allow it to be that for you by sharing it with those you love.
I was asked recently about my at-home coffee routine. I love my French press and when asked why, it occured to me, it makes the perfect amount of coffee for two people to share. Just like with a bottle of wine, it is meant to be shared. My husband and I get to connect and enjoy our coffee while sharing from the same pot. It’s communal, it’s connective, and it’s so much better than a Keurig single-serving pod for every reason imaginable.
3. Drink wine without getting drunk.
If you see wine the same way you see a tequila shot, this is for you. Wine is much more than a means of getting you wasted, and enjoying it as such is the key to loving it more.
I love the feeling of two glasses of wine in my belly. I’m warm and comfortable and flirty and confident and smart. My third glass (21-year-old-me is in shock right now - she loved the 5-glass feeling!!) makes me not love wine anymore. I become nauseous and tired and overly-snacky, with an unrelenting headache.
Drinking wine without getting drunk allows all your senses to be on alert for those connections we love - it keeps things genuine, alive, focused, and clear. It requires self-awareness, discipline, and balance. All the meditative practices I love in wine tasting go out the window at glass #3 and I find the value of my wine immediately decreases. My third drink can be a Modelo or a mezcal margarita if I really want a third! If it’s wine, I’ve lost the plot entirely. If my third drink is a Negroni, put me in a taxi and send me home — the night should have ended hours ago.
4. Keep an open mind.
A great gift wine has given me is the understanding that nobody knows everything. The world is vast and always changing and it’s simply impossible to know it all.
Every single day I get to I admit that I do not know the answers.
It is an excellent exercise in ego and self-awareness and I love it. As my yoga teacher would say about challenges like this, “that is where the yoga begins.”
The second part of the gift that wine people don’t want you to know is that because the world is so vast, it’s actually fairly easy to impress people with a random tidbit of wine knowledge. People are extremely intimidated by wine and close-minded in general, so a little knowledge goes a long way.
Wine proves me wrong on the daily. It illuminates truths, it complicates my worldview and it simplifies my opinions. It keeps me on my toes and it keeps me reading, studying, learning, asking questions, and telling stories. Wine keeps my mind open and that keeps me in love.
Is your friend group falling out of love with wine?
Are you noticing this so-called “decline” of wine culture?
Can you send this to a friend you think should reignite their passion for wine?