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“Secrets to Becoming a Wine Connoisseur”

Confessions of a wine imposter.

Judith A. Habert

The Sommelier expertly pours the wine into the glass. I Home, (http://www.wineshopathome.com/) is proof of the
lift it and swish the wine around for a few seconds. I lean increased interest in wine. This company provides in home
into the glass enough to get a whiff of the sweet aroma as wine tasting parties to allow the guests to not only taste an
I bring it to my lips to sip the fragrant liquid. I turn back to incredible selection of wine, but to learn how to pick out a
the Sommelier and give him a slight nod. I think to myself, good wine.
I wonder if he has any idea that I have absolutely no clue
what I am doing? Thankful for the many
wine connoisseurs with whom I have had the
pleasure of dining , I am able to go through
the motions and make those around me think
I am one of them, a wine enthusiast. Don’t
get me wrong, I love a good glass of wine as
much as the next gal, but could I pick a great
wine from a good wine? Or an expensive
wine from an average priced wine?…
Unfortunately, I think not. I have to believe
that maybe I am not alone and there are
other imposters out there, but who knows. I
could be the only phony trying to pull off the
wine thing…or maybe not.
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So what does it take to be able to com-
pete with those who really know what
they are doing when it comes to wine?
I wondered the same thing and decid-
ed it was time I learn a bit more about
this mysterious aromatic liquid. The
most important element to consider is
that in order to pull off the “I know a
really good glass of wine” thing, you
must first learn some basic terminol-
ogy. Yes, wine has its own language.
Who would have guessed that to have
a nice glass of wine with my dinner I
would first have to obtain an educa-
tion. Well, it isn’t a necessity, but then
I was introduced to such elements as
legs, mouth feel, body, balance, depth
and finish. I wondered to myself if
Berlitz offered a course in wine.

Wine is one of those elements of life that is
always in style. To say that the interest in
wine has grown may sound silly, but it does
seem that wine shops, wine tasting events,
and at home wine parties have gained an in-
crease in popularity over the past few years.
One California based company WineShop At
March/April 2008