#66 - Arbor Mist Strawberry Zinfandel

My forrays into finding a wine that I like are amatuer at best. Wine is one of those beverages that everyone talks about like it is a normal part of good meals and being an adult. I just don't get it. Since I was a kid I have loved the subtle depth of flavor that grape juice provides, but its sweetness has likely positioned my palate to expect that same sweetness from wine, which of course it is not. Even the "dry" sweet wines I have tried come across as tart. I have also never been a big fan of the fermented alcohol taste that come with beer and wine. I've come across a few mixed drinks I like, but these are usualy highly sweetened and flavored with other, typically fruity, ingredients (daiquiris, mojitos, etc). This has left me feeling like I am missing out on the wine experience. I am especially interested in wine's purported ability to make other food taste better, to complement my meal as they say.

I know that to do what i have set out to do, I will need to find someone who knows wine well enough to know what they are doing and guide me through it. This will involve trying a lot of wine. It is something that i think i have neither the time or the money for. In the meantime, I couldn't help but pick up a strawberry-flavored wine - Arbor Mist Strawberry Zinfandel - because of the promise of the extra fruity flavoring. I thought it was quite good. I tried it with meals and it lost some of its appeal, but cold and by itself, it was quite refreshing. I prefered the small bottles because I didn't want the remaninder of a full bottle to spoil if I only wanted a glass of wine. I know that this is the beginning of my quest and not the end, but at least I've started on the path.