All in Good Fun

First of all, I would like to congratulate Shannon and Sean on their stellar performance this past weekend with our "battle of the wines" competition. Even with my sometimes abrasive competitive nature, we can't win them all. ;-)

Speaking of competitive nature, I play volleyball every Monday with a good group of girls. I'm not talking about back yard v-ball, folks...more like competitive in your face type of ball. Not only is it a nice work out but also the way I know best to channel my stress into something I love.

This past Monday, we played against a pretty kick ass team that couldn't be older than a bunch of high school girls. Allow me to break down for you what playing a team like this is all about.

• They have stamina like nobodies business (the first game was a warm up for them when we already gave it all we got)


• They can jump so high their elbows are above the net (I think I can still clear about a foot)


• They tend to get a little mouthy (we're laid back and you'll even find us cheering for the other team at times)


• They chug water/Gatorade (we chug beer)


• They are extremely inconsistent because they haven't quite grown into their skinny little bodies yet (we are capable of serving/spiking the ball right at the worst player on the team)


• They're just not quite as strong (lifting cases of wine all day long sure as hell doesn't hurt)


• They get intimidated easily (all you have to do is even pretend to block and they barely ding it over the net)

Now, how do I tie this into vino? A young/new wine drinker may run into some of the same issues.

• Stamina. For example...it might be their first time at the International Wine Festival (which is coming up) so they try to taste and swallow every wine there. They wouldn't even make a cab ride home without opening the door half way there. So much for remembering any wine you tried.

• Practice makes perfect! The more you taste wine, the more you know. You could sit at home with your nose in a wine book every night but if you don't taste, it's a waste.


• Intimidation. Young/new wine drinkers may feel intimidated. Don't!! There are always people out there that will get off on it so let them make an ass out of themselves.