Wilder on Wine: The humble beginnings of my wine education

Very few people I know in the wine industry intended to be.

Unlike across the pond, the majority of we Americans are reared to be more appreciative of the newest flavor variation of Dr. Pepper (vanilla cherry pomegranate lemon fusion!) than the most recent vintage from the Cotes du Rhone. However, becoming knowledgeable about wine isn't as tough as it may seem.

As a recent Vanderbilt graduate with a degree in history and art history, I drank wine to calm my worries as I thought, "What am I going to do now?" Graduate school was a possibility, but not for another year. After only seven months, I had just quit my first "real-world" job, a computer sales position without even the perk of my own cubicle. I spent all day on the phone at a long desk full of other people on phones, under fluorescent lights, explaining the difference between hard drives and CD-ROM drives to confused old ladies. Unsatisfying is a generous way to describe the job. I needed something else in the meantime.

Though I didn't have any fine-dining serving experience, a nice restaurant was opening across the street from my apartment and I thought I'd give it a shot. I interviewed at Tayst Restaurant and Wine Bar with then- wine director Steve Boyer, answering his question "Where does Port come from?" with a blank stare. When asked to name a wine from Australia, I said (I'm wincing just typing this), "Yellowtail." I was a wine novice, to say the least.

Somehow I got the job, and thanks to Steve's patient and engaging tutelage, became as fascinated by wines like Silvaner and Chinon as I was in school by Egon Schiele and Jean-Luc Godard. I took rampant notes on all the wines we tried, studied the different regions and attended wine classes.

Eventually, I moved on to work in wine retail. I have a wonderful job at Woodland Wine Merchant, and I look forward to every day. In four-and-a-half years, I feel I've earned a second degree, on a subject that I am even more passionate about than art.

So many people seem intimidated by wine, but as my story hopefully relates, you can go from knowing nothing to being quite knowledgeable in a short time. You just need an experienced guide and your own thirst, both for wine (the best way to learn is, incidentally, to drink!) and for knowledge.

Like many other things, the way to get the most enjoyment from wine is to understand aspects beyond the surface. Is a painting by Dali interesting to look at? Sure, but it gets even better when you know where to look for the hidden figures, or think of how the artist went into hysterical fits of laughter lasting hours when he imagined everyone he saw with an owl on their head. Similarly, a glass of wine holds so much to discover, and I hope you will take me as your guide to discovering a new way of looking at what's in your glass.

We'll explore different regions, grapes, discuss the importance of the importer, learn why sulfites won't kill you, meet local people in the industry, find the best wine lists in town, and more. Until next week, Cheers!