Thanks for checking out the DeVine Wines Blog!
Is it a vase?
Before you read too far, I want to make a disclaimer: I am not a sommelier. I am not even an employee of the wine bar. I don’t own a decanter, nor do I know what a decanter is (best guess? Some kind of cheese sandwich).
Last time I was in DeVine Wines, Jim asked me what I thought of a specific bottle and I replied, in as classy and pretentious of a voice as I could muster, “Jim, the hint of grape in this wine is breathtaking.”
If you came looking for an expert’s opinion on new vintages and the best way to show your dinner guests the oaky undertones in your Bordeaux, or even the right way to smell your wine (which I hear is important), you might be in the wrong place.
The bar t-shirt screams classy
My name is Kevin Shively. My folks Rich and Paula own DeVine Wines, and while this may lend you the notion that I inherited an innate palate for the finer things in life, don’t be fooled: I spent the majority of the last decade in Helena, Montana, sampling the best Pabst Blue Ribbon in a tall boy can that my dollar could buy.
I’m completely uninitiated as far as wine-tasting goes, and at dinner the other night, I was telling my mom how uncultured and primitive that made me feel as a human being. I told her that it was her responsibility as a parent to educate me and make me a sophisticated, suave and respectable member of society. Naturally we decided that I couldn’t get much more suave, but I could easily learn how to drink wine the right way.
The next twenty minutes of conversation were dedicated to her telling me why I couldn’t do this with a box of Chablis from the minimart.
Enter the DeVine Wines blog.
She’d been toying with the idea of a blog as it was, but this presented a unique opportunity. As a writer, I wanted to help out with the logistics, but we landed on the idea of me completely quarterbacking the project.
Each week, I’ll go into DeVine Wines for one of their different tastings (Thursday and Saturday afternoons, call for times). The blog will take you through this journey with me. I’ll share what I learn, what wine myths there are, and most importantly, how you can get into drinking and tasting wine without feeling like a Neanderthal for not knowing how to swirl your glass the right way.
These are the things I want to learn as well, and through the process, hopefully not develop an affinity for tweed jackets and scarves.
Thanks for reading, and if you come across any questions, please feel free to let me know and I’ll ask during my next tasting. If you’d like to join us for the next tasting, email me at Kevin@de-vinewines.com and I’d be more than happy to let you know the next time I’ll be fumbling my way through the process.
