Hi There!

My name is Teryl, and welcome to my (attempt at a) Blog! Here you can follow me through the glorious ins and painful outs of my journeys with wine.

I'm just an ordinary girl. No real formal education in enology or viticulture and I'm certainly no Sommelier, but do tend to run in circles with people who really know their stuff. It just so happens, a few have become some of the best friends I've ever had and I am thankful for their friendship, wisdom, and sometimes patience, with me.

I've been told by many in the industry that I have a really great palate. I am able to pick apart the different characteristics in wines that make them so unique, the good and the bad. I definitely have done my fair share of self-educating, ie- reading books on the subject, learning the different varietals, what the grapes and their leaves look like, etc. I'd say I have more knowledge on the subject than the "Average Joe." But mostly, my education has been by sampling copious amounts of wines over my years. Much to my heart's content, and my waistline's discontent.

Growing up, my parents were much more European when it came to wine. It was always around so it never really seemed as something taboo. We were given sips here and there all growing up. We were a family that actually had "Family Dinner" at the table. When I was around 10, my parents began allowing me and my older sisters to have half glasses of wine with dinner and as time went on, we graduated to full glasses, with stipulations of course. My dad started quizzing us on what we were drinking. He started easy, "Red or white? Can you tell what varietal it is?" Eventually my dad had to start brown bagging, decanting or hiding the bottles because we had learned what shapes and color glass was used for each of the different wines. Then the questions became more advanced, asking us if we knew what region and or winery it was most likely from. Pretty intense for high schoolers, but I found it fun and fascinating. Little did I know at the time, how those wine quizzes would introduce me to a whole world of juicy goodness and pave my way into the wino that I have become. Thanks, Dad.... No really, THANK YOU! Not only that, but wine has brought me and my family together in a way I never would have imagined, who'd have thought you can actually do fun things and be "friends" with your parents, right? Personally, no family function is complete with out a recycling bin