Wine is My Passport

By: Larissa Dubose, Resident Wine Educator

I’m currently flying back home to Atlanta from a whirlwind trip to Barcelona, Paris, and a bonus day trip to the Champagne Wine Region of France! All of this History, Wine-ing and Dining has inspired me to finally write my first Blog post as The Lotus & The Vine’s Resident Wine Educator.

A Wine-derful Love Story

For those of you just getting to know me…Hi! My name is Larissa, a Wine industry professional. I wanted to start this Blog Series by letting you all know why I fell in love with Wine. More importantly, why I want to share the little that I know (the Wine world is one of continuous learning) with you.

Among mid-sips & laughs with friends, family, and business colleagues, I’m often asked, “Larissa, why do you love Wine so much?” Over the year, I’ve been able to sum up this passion in four key reasons:

Wine is My Passport
Wine Knowledge is POWERful
Drinking Wine is Drinking History
Wine is Sexy

Let’s travel further into my Wine-motto: “Wine is My Passport” (ha..did you like that pun?). While it was sad that our trip has come to an end, I’m comforted with the knowledge that I can revisit our trip at our local Wine shop any time I want. With just one sip, I’ll be whisked back to France and Spain. Wine is one of the only commodities that can take you almost anywhere in the world! It’s all there in the bottle. An authentic, delicious and pure expression of a culture, region, and their history. If you love to travel and perhaps don’t yet have the budget to make all of your wanderlust dreams come true, you can start here. Think about it – If you live in the US, how else can you get a taste of France, Italy, Spain, South Africa, Australia, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina, and Chile to name a few? No worries if you haven’t made it to Napa Valley, Sonoma, Oregon, or Washington State, just take a trip to your local Wine shop! Imagine foregoing an expensive plane ticket for a $15+(ish) bottle of Wine. With an open mind, and the willingness to try new things, it’s that easy!

Trying Out Your New Passport

Try this, pick one of the countries and/or regions I mentioned above, go to your local Wine shop, and ask them to help take you there through Wine. If you’re still figuring out your taste profile (what flavors you like), the associates can help you find your way. Do you like for example:

Red Fruits like Cherries, Strawberries, and Raspberries
Black Fruits like Blackberries, Black Currants, and Blueberries
Citrus Fruits like Grapefruit, Lemon, and Lime
Tropical/Exotic Fruits like Pineapple and Lychee
Flowers like Roses, Violets and Orange Blossoms
Herbal Flavors like Oregano, Basil and Eucalyptus
Baking Spices like Vanilla, Cocoa and Cinnamon

Believe it or not, these are only a handful of flavors that you can get from Wine. We will discuss in further detail what wines typically exude which flavors in later posts and videos. To take it a step further, let the associate know what’s for dinner, and they can help you find the perfect pairing for your meal.

So, this is first reason why I Love Wine! I couldn’t sit on this secret any longer! Of course I had to share it with you! This simple shift in thinking about Wine as your Passport can help immensely, whether you’re just getting started on your Wine journey, or you’re a Wine lover that wants to expand their palate. Stay tuned! Cheers!