I never thought I would like wine that much. The first time I had it was probably several years ago when one of my employers gave me a bottle of Cabernet (I think) for Christmas. I tried a sip of it and it tasted awful. It was really dry and tasted strongly of alcohol. I think I had some white zinfandel for New Years once or twice, but otherwise I didn't really drink much wine after that Cabernet. It wasn't until we moved here that I became interested in trying it again. I don't like beer that much, so wine seemed to be the appropriate alternative when going to parties and group events.

I've discovered that I really like both white and red wine, mostly for the taste. I like Riesling, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay for white wines. As for red, I prefer Merlot or Pinot Noir. Most of those types are fairly sweet tasting, with the exception of Chardonnay and Merlot. I know I definitely don't like Cabernet Sauvignon much. If you're wanting to try to develop a taste for wine, it's probably best to start with a white wine like Riesling. It's almost a dessert wine and goes well with fruit and cheese.

It's nice that there's a good selection at all the local stores like QFC and Whole Foods. Although, it can be a little intimidating trying to choose one. We usually don't spend more than $20 on one bottle and it's typically more like $12-$14 a bottle. It's a lot to drink an entire bottle in one night, even between the two of us, so we usually save some of it for later. It definitely doesn't taste as good after it's been opened in the fridge for a few days, no matter how tightly we try to close it. There are a few cheap brands like Barefoot and Sutter Home that are usually decent, but we normally try to go for something a little nicer. One advantage those less expensive brands have is that they sell their wine in smaller bottles in packs of four, which is convenient to drink smaller amounts.

We don't drink wine more than a couple times per month, but I've also been wanting a wine rack at home so we have a place to store wine instead of just leaving it on the counter or taking up space in the fridge if we're not planning on drinking it for a while.

It's also nice that we live near a lot of areas that produce wine, such as the Yakima and Columbia Valleys. I'd like to go to those places some day and do wine tastings. Napa Valley is also on my list. I think it would be cool to buy a bottle of wine from every place we go on vacation, especially internationally. Australia produces a lot of wines, but we didn't get an Australian wine when we were there. Maybe we'll pick one up while on the Oregon coast.