Why Wine + Feelings?

In December 2012, I was bummin hard. I felt creatively stalled in my writing, frustrated with my prospects both romantic and professional, and utterly un-special, because I was in my twenties and that’s all just par for the course. I realized one of the few things I’d been truly enjoying in the past year was wine tasting. I wasn’t great, but I was getting better, and every time I picked out an aroma, it felt like I had found a hidden treasure. Like I had discovered a way into a poem or a community or something else beautiful and elusive. Like I was enjoying something and I was right. Something so small felt fucking wonderful.

But I didn’t, and I don’t, have very much money. I asked for a wine course for Christmas, determined that this was my true calling and it would come naturally to me and I’d be a young and peppy expert in no time. “Ali Schouten?” people would say. “The renowned oenophile with the cute clothes who really figured out what to do with her hair finally? She has her shit together. And her boyfriend pulls off all kinds of scarves.” People would know who I was!

I took the class. It was awesome. I am not an expert. Wine is hard. I loved the class and am continuing in my studies. I want to know as much as possible. But the most important thing I learned was that you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy wine. It can be a poem and a treasure hunt and a way to wax pretentious for anyone, and it may even be more satisfying to pick out flavors when no one expects you to, least of all yourself.

So I once again did the cliché thing and started a blog. I wanted an excuse to write about wine. About tasting it and making it and pairing it with food, yes, but also about experiencing it, even from an inexperienced perspective.

Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoy reading my posts as much as I enjoy writing them and also that I get really famous.

Here is a picture of some wine I had one time.