| Almost everyone remembers their first drink | | | | behind the concept of chugging: the faster |
| of alcohol. I remember mine like it was | | | | the chugging, the less opportunity for |
| yesterday. Taking a sip of my father's Bud | | | | tasting. Wine, however, is meant to be |
| Light when I was seven years old, I realized | | | | tasted; it's meant to be savored. Each sip of |
| it tasted nothing like the root beer I | | | | wine should provide a new experience for your |
| frequently drank, mixing it with vanilla ice | | | | taste buds, making your beer bottles boil |
| cream in large plastic cups. As I | | | | with increasing jealousy in the process. |
| concentrated on not spitting the beer back in | | | | |
| the can, knowing very well this would send my | | | | |
| germ-a-phobic father rocking in the corner, I | | | | |
| swallowed the beer with my nose plugged and | | | | Enjoy the Variety |
| vowed to never drink again. | | | | |
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| | | | While there are several different types of |
| This vow was broken in my late teenage years | | | | beer, most beer tastes relatively the same |
| when beer bongs and keg stands were calling | | | | with some just not being quite as bad as |
| me, chanting my name in unison and performing | | | | others. Two different bottles of wine, |
| the "slow clap" portrayed in inspirational | | | | however, can taste dramatically unalike. Wine |
| moments in movies. But, the truth is, I | | | | drinkers are granted with the ability to pick |
| didn't really like beer then and I don't | | | | from a variety of years, types, and flavors. |
| really like it now. From the cheap stuff | | | | They can choose red wine or white wine, wine |
| filling the kegs of frat houses all over the | | | | from places as far as France or as close as |
| world, to the more expensive wheat beers | | | | Oregon. And, once engaged in a little wine |
| served with an orange, they've always tasted | | | | tasting, wine drinkers can find a wine they |
| the same to me. They've always tasted bad. | | | | really love. |
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| That is why, after college, where beer was | | | | Embrace the History and the Culture |
| just short of flowing from dorm room faucets, | | | | |
| I decided to climb the corporate ladder of | | | | |
| liquor consumption, with the next rung up | | | | |
| being wine. | | | | Wine, in addition to being full of taste, is |
| | | | packed with culture and history. From the |
| | | | exportation of wine in the 1st Century AD to |
| | | | the forbidding of the planting of vineyards |
| Initially I made this choice because of the | | | | by the King of Spain, learning about wine |
| health benefits of wine. Unlike beer, with | | | | allows you to learn about the history of our |
| each pint providing more belly fat in | | | | world. Drinking different wines from |
| alcohol's version of 8-minute abs, wine | | | | different regions also allows you to learn |
| possesses several things beneficial to a | | | | about the values of those particular regions. |
| person's health, with particular concern to | | | | |
| the heart. But, health benefits aside, I took | | | | |
| this plunge because wine is so much more than | | | | |
| alcohol. | | | | Behave Yourself |
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| | | | |
| However, taking the plunge from beer to wine | | | | When drinking wine, you need to act like |
| wasn't easy. While beer is junior varsity, | | | | you're drinking wine. Now, I'm not saying you |
| wine is varsity. With wine, you're playing | | | | need to speak with an English accent or hold |
| with the big boys and there are several rules | | | | your wine glass with your pinky sticking out |
| to keep in mind for a smooth transition. | | | | at a 90 degree angle, but wine demands a |
| | | | certain sophistication that beer refutes: |
| | | | when drinking beer, the more barbaric the |
| | | | behavior the better. With wine, however, your |
| Don't Play Drinking Games | | | | behavior should contain a certain sense of |
| | | | sophistication, behavior that points to a |
| | | | bottle of Pinot Gris and says, "She's with |
| | | | me." |
| From Quarters to Century Club, beer was made | | | | |
| for drinking competitions, being the game | | | | |
| piece passing Go and collecting two hundred | | | | |
| dollars. But, playing a drinking game with | | | | When it comes down to it, beer and wine are |
| wine may result in praying to the porcelain | | | | on different sides of the alcohol spectrum. |
| God later in the evening. While beer is made | | | | Beer, in hindsight, is kind of like the |
| to be swallowed in large amounts, with the | | | | sippy-cup that prepares you for the real |
| occasional belch being the only thing needed | | | | thing. Wine, however, offers so much more, |
| to make someone getting sick feel better, | | | | and teaches you, above all, why alcohol |
| wine isn't. Wine, simply put, is not a toy. | | | | really is a median of nearly every |
| | | | culture.Jennifer Jordan is the senior editor |
| | | | at With a vast knowledge of wine etiquette, |
| | | | she writes articles on everything from how to |
| Wine should be sipped, not chugged | | | | hold a glass of wine to how to hold your hair |
| | | | back after too many glasses. Ultimately, she |
| | | | writes her articles with the intention that |
| | | | readers will remember wine is fun and each |
| I have a theory that someone like me, | | | | glass of anything fun should always be |
| someone who hates beer, was the idea-person | | | | savored. |