Snooth describes the The 7 Steps to Wine Geekdom as:

1. Getting hooked – You experience an epiphany wine; Mine was a Lolonis Zinfandel.
2. Trying everything – What I call the “promiscuous” phase; Feels like I’m still here.
3. Loving everything – Never met a wine I didn’t like from a varietal point of view, though generally I prefer red, and rosés over whites.
4. Loving power – Is all the above an option?;-)
5. Loving complexity – You start to consider New vs. Old World, and according to Snooth, the point of no return!
6. Loving elegance and finesse – Sounds expensive, but doesn’t have to be. Again…is all the above an option?
7. Back to your roots – Didn’t realize I had wine “roots”

I was a bit surprised how much my own travels through Winedom mirrored the stages posited by Snooth.  My first wine, typical of most people’s experiences, was a sweet Plum wine from the Japanese Gardens in San Francisco.  In my 20’s it was Blue Nun, and Bartles and Jaymes wine coolers.  I must confess I never had a White Zinfandel phase.

Many years later, I began drinking wine mostly because of the French Paradox, but not long afterward, I had my epiphany wine, a Lolonis Zinfandel. That was back in the first year of the 21st Century.  Thereafter, there seemed to be a period of years where I dabbled in wine.  I can still remember when my entire wine “collection” being less than 10 bottles!

Today, I find myself with a lot more wine, and firmly entrenched in “Trying everything, and “Loving everything” phases!  It’s probably been 4, or 5 years of exploration and discovery, and right now it feels like there’s no end in sight.  I like that.  It seems to suite my personality.  For example, if you were to ask me what my favorite ice cream is, I couldn’t possibly say there was one, or even a handful.  It depends on my mood, and I still enjoy trying different types of ice creams.  It’s the same with wine (and I’ve had much longer to decide on a favorite ice cream). I can’t imagine myself settling down to just a few wines, but then again I couldn’t imagine I’d appreciate, and enjoy some jazz when I was a younger man –  yet I’m kickin” some Boney James as I write this.  So you never know!

There seem to be a lot of similarities between the steps described above, and our maturation as individuals, don’t you think?  Maybe that’s why I’m enjoying the trying, and loving everything  phase I’m in now so much – it’s give me a chance to re-experience that youthful part of my life when I did the same thing, without springing for a sports car!

What about you? Where did you start, and which stage are you in?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

In Vino Veritas!

Other Cool Stuff:

Retro Bartles & Jaymes Commercial (You Tube)