Christy's Travels...A Taste of Wine in Every State

Texas

Oklahoma

Illinois

Wisconsin

Napa, California

In this modern era it's absolutely a must to do a blog if you have a web site - right? Even Martha Stewart and Donald Trump are doing it, so, to keep up with the times, surely I must do it too! The problem is that the subject of wine these days is discussed almost ad nauseum (well, as I said, almost - you really can't get quite enough wine info, can you?) So I was a bit stumped when I decided to add this personal touch to our website. What in the world could I write about that would interest my customers half as much as it interested me? I really don't want to just do a rehash of the million blogs, advertisements and self-help wine books out there. Believe me, there are plenty of great ones, mediocre ones and just plain silly ones for there to be any need of another. But then it came to me!

It began with an interesting tidbit I ran across in my own thirst for wine knowledge: It is now without question that every state in these United States has a winery. That's an amazing wine fact to me! I knew that I could always find a winery whenever my husband and I traveled - that was my idea of adding a bit of fun to even the dullest business trips - but I had no idea that I could be doing that in EVERY state. There really is a winery in Arkansas? ...in Alaska? ...in Arizona? And the answer was yes! I truly found that fascinating, especially given the very specific soil and weather conditions necessary to produce particular varietals.

Hence was born Christy's Blog, and its somewhat wordy title. I don't want to redo some of the fine books that have been published on the subject of wineries in this great country of ours; there are far more knowledgeable, experienced, and erudite people than me to do that job great justice. What I think I can add to the discussion is, if you will, a reality check. The premise behind my blog is not simple knowledge, but a chance to experience a particular winery in each of the fifty states. My goal is to report on a personal wine tasting adventure at one particular winery each month. I will share with my readers a specific winery in a specific state, and hopefully we will all learn something about what makes wine work in that particular location. I will report on my own wine tasting experience, the winery, its people, its grapes, and anything else that makes that winery interesting, whether that be its bed and breakfast, restaurant, or pets! Hopefully there will be some great anecdotes and pictures to share with you.

Let me hear from you, as well. I see this portion of my website becoming a community of tasters and wine enthusiasts who share their travels and wine experiences. If you have some great pictures, stories or interesting facts to share about your own wine journeys please follow the link below to email me, and I will add them to this column.

Follow the link above to access my first column of the series, on a state now "near and dear" to my heart: Texas. After many years away we have come home to Texas. We're very lucky, because our business is now located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, which is also one of the state's most well-known wine regions. That will make a great place to start, so take a look at my blog on Flat Creek Estate.

If you have a personal wine experience you would like to share, email me personally at: christy@loveofwinestore.com