About Me:

I'm originally from Fairfax VA and moved to Chicago in 2006. Chicago is a great wine town and I enjoy availing myself of the many opportunties to explore the world of wine, beer, whisky, tequilla and ...you get the idea. My interest in wine started with a Beaujolais I had at my parents'house after college (well, in truth maybe I could trace it back to Ruinite at Olive Garden, that was my first repeat buy wine). I remember being bored and anxious, pouring myself a glass of this Beaujolais and thinking, huh, this is kind of interesting. After getting a job in DC, my interest in wine developed with the help of an aunt and uncle in DC, and also trips to the nearby Virginia wine country. Then I moved to Chicago and things started to get more serious. I started going to wine tastings (one early Champagne tasting particularly moved me). Now I find myself knee-deep in the fever swamps of wine appreciation: trying to make the most of my meagre 24 bottle cooler, cajoling friends to come out to expensive Champagne tastings, and haunting the wine shelves of Chicago (usually not buying anything). Through it all I just try to make my own way through the sometimes crazy world of wine appreciation.

Wine Styles I like:

Almost any style done well I like. Particularly enjoy: Champagne, Riesling, Pinot Noir, Rhone wines, and Port. One thing about my tastes that is maybe unique is I'm a big fan of Rhone whites, Viognier, Rousanne, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, which some people are not into. Also I like Barbera, and white from Alsace, particularly Pinot Gris. Sometimes I seriously crave Italian wines.