WHY do you drink wine, and do you consider it your hobby?

I have a friend (long distance) who collects and is really into wine. I thought it was kind of neat, but didn't really understand it. In the past, I always ordered wine at a restaurant just because cocktails scare me. I did aquire a taste for beer, however, only because that's what we drank at under-aged keg parties. I was looking for something a little more sophisticated, and a little less bloating....oh, sorry, guys don't like to hear that word. Bloating! Bloating! Bloating!

A few months ago, I thought it would be interesting to see what this wine thing is about....maybe because I was looking for a new hobby. I hate crafts, I'm a scrapboxer, and there are just too many things that I don't like. Seriously, I tried football last year, but what's the use--all the participants just keep falling down.

I hate to admit this part, but having young children, an IV hook-up to a Pinot Grigio is preferable to screaming. Let's just say it relaxes me, and if that's bad, I will have to work on that. But, I don't start drinking until the last Spider Man spin brush has stopped, and they've had their stories and prayers...not a slovenly mom here.

I am finding, though, that I'm slowly "getting into it," and wanting to learn more and more about it. I can't tell the differences so much yet, but it's a thrill to open a new bottle and discover what's inside--kind of like Christmastime. And since I'm hard to buy for (don't like, or really need anything), it really IS like Christmas.

Since I'm the only wine drinker here, and I don't know many others that KNOW about wine, I'm really glad I found this, because you all are off the charts. I mean, I can imagine all of you kind of "preparing for surgery" before opening a bottle, or something. So, this is a good place for me to ask questions.

If you are near Pittsburgh or Philly you might want to check out the tastings. All levels of knowledge and sophistication are represented plus a about 50/50 mix of couples to non-couples. If not, Google wine tasting & your town name. You might be surprised to find how many local groups there are. PLCB isn;t the largest wine buyer for no reason!

because you all are off the charts

Huh? Just because we'll eat dirt to see what it tastes like and be able to identify it in a old world bordeaux? Not to mention that "barn yard" thing. And some wine is so bad that it even makes one of us "mad".

Just because we'll eat dirt to see what it tastes like and be able to identify it in a old world bordeaux? Not to mention that "barn yard" thing. And some wine is so bad that it even makes one of us "mad".

This is much worse than I thought, although it does make it more intriguing.

"I am finding, though, that I'm slowly "getting into it," and wanting to learn more and more about it."

This is a similar path that I started down a few years back, SwirGirl (love the name BTW).
My advice is to experiment with as many wines as you can. Your favorite wine may be one you haven't tried yet...
The Chairman's Selections are a great way to start in PA, but I suggest broadening your scope as much as possible to sample different countries, regions, etc.
Come to one of our Pitts or Philly gatherings. Ferret out some local wine tastings - they're out there.
Join the addiction, er, um club. Step 1..admit there is a ..... :)

bigred - love the comment, my philosophy exactly.

swirlgirl - If you are looking for an interesting wine to try, give the Valle Vista a try.

Swirlgirl. Go on line to www.cellartracker.com. It's a free ware program where there are litterally thousands of tasting notes and they have a pretty large forum of users (myself among them).

The best way to start is to try a variety of wine types to see which you like. there is no right or wrong when it comes to wine, it's a matter of personal taste.

I traditionally drank beer, my wife drank wine. After we were married, we found it was an activity we could both enjoy. We did local and regional wine tastings at various wineries and wine shops, and we've been doing it regularly for about 10 years. Recently, we've begun to turn it into a hobby. We do a weekly podcast over at www.eastcoastwinegeeks.com, and my wife writes several online blogs on local wine tastes. We're trying to focus locally, on wines available from the PLCB and from wineries within driving distances from SWPA.

We don't consider ourselves well educated on wine culture, but I think we do reflect the surge in wine culture among 20-30 year olds that are just getting into the culture and trying to demystify it a bit. For us, it's just fun, food, friends and good wine.