Introducing the Southwestern Wine Guy
The bottom of this page will link you to my new wine website and blog. My Albuquerque Journal articles, and articles too large or off the topic for the Journal will be available on the website. The blog will feature weekly blogs on wine, or more often as events dictate. I also just completed a wine guide to New Mexico wines. Go to Wine Guide now for details and ordering information.
Qualifications: My passion for wine began in Hong Kong. I know, not an obvious place to begin. I was on my first tour of duty on board the CVA-19 Hancock, a World War II carrier on duty in the South China Sea in 1964. Dining with shipmates at the Parisian Grill (known as the PG in those days), I ordered my first bottle of wine. It was a Paul Bouchard Charmes Chambertin Burgundy. I did not know this was a Grand Cru, or even what that meant. I just remember the taste was like nothing I'd ever had before.
Discovering what a wine like that cost stateside, I began my education of wine to locate other wines that gave me the same thrill without seriously depleting my bank account. Not that I had a bank account then. Since then I tasted wines around the world. Even pineapple wine in Hawaii. My recommendation: don't go there for that wine.
I've been a wine columnist with the Albuquerque Journal for 1-1/2 years, and the enjoyment I've derived from that fueled my desire to create a blog. I spent thirty years as a technical instructor, mostly in Silicon Valley, so I'm used to educating people. In fact I set up blind wine tastings for those students that attended my 2-week course on network architectures. Believe me, after 2 weeks of SNA, OSI, and TCP/IP network architectures you are so ready for drinking wine.
My emphasis will be on accessible and affordable wines that will work with food, as well as interesting notes on the people behind the wines. If you hear me say, "such a deal!", you'll know this is a wine to check out. I have few biases when it comes to wine, but I do shy away from the cheaper mass-produced wines. Many of these use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, and other -cides I'd just as soon keep out of my body. I also stay away from very over-priced wines. Why pay twice as much when you can get twice as much?
The following entry points will link to my website and blog.
http://SouthwesternWineGuy.Com Website
http://SouthwesternWineGuy.Blogspot.Com Blog
