A toast, to wine!

Growing up, I had very little experience with alcohol, much less wine. Most people I know, their families had wine on holidays (and let them try), or had a beer every once in a while. For me, certain members of my family had a drink of choice, but only drank on very rare occasions, and almost never in front of me. My dad might have a scotch with a friend in the living, but I wasn’t supposed to go in there while they were drinking. The only experience I had was one aunt who would come in for Christmas once a year. She would bring several bottles of wine and store them in my grandma’s fridge while my grandma complained. I grew up thinking alcohol must be really terrible if every adult I knew hid their drinking habits or were shamed for them.

In high school, I was never really interested in drinking, much less getting drunk. My first three semesters of college, I saw my friends’ motivations and grades fall because of partying and drinking. I thought it was better off that I wasn’t interested. But then, I studied abroad in France. By this time I had maybe had a few glasses of wine in my life, but didn’t particularly enjoy them. But drinking in France completely opened my eyes to alcohol, and more specifically, wine.

I realized that wine didn’t need to be something you drank to get drunk, just to have the funny stories, and end up sick. It was something that brought people together. We have so many things that claim to bring people together today (texting, Facebook, university clubs/organizations). But often these merely divide us more, pitting one against another. Wine is something that truly does the trick. As you share in this activity with others, your guard lowers, and you connect with people as you share in this space.

One of the most memorable nights was when I was Paris in a restaurant called the Refuge des fondues. Of course it is fondue, but their gimmick is unlimited (yeah, you heard me. Unlimited) wine in baby bottles. It was the last night I would see two of the friends I had made abroad. I was so sad as I walked into the restaurant. But eating and drinking together, I was reminded of all the amazing times we had, and that no matter what happened, we would always have the memories from the time we shared together. I am excited to learn more about this incredible beverage that seems to be so magical!