Getting Into Wine

Living in San Francisco in the late '80s, I got to taste many of the fine wines that California has to offer. After growing up with the arcane East Coast alcohol laws I was amazed the average convenience store in San Francisco had a better wine selection than nearly every supposed wine shop I visited back east. We drank a lot of California Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in those days, as well as some nice Champagne.

We moved to Seattle in 1990, and I continued tasting the occasional glass of wine. Jules began working at Ray's Boathouse, a Seattle landmark with a celebrated wine program. The Sommelier took a shine to me and included me on a number of staff tastings where I got introduced to more of the red wines of Washington State. I began to notice wine a bit more.

I had started working in taverns just to make money. The first one I worked in, The Buckaroo, sold wine by the glass (6 oz.) or the 'schooner' (9 oz.), straight up, no cork. We did get a 'finer wine' during my tenure there; this one had a cork, but not much else. Since there was so much beer and ale to focus on there was not a great need for me to think about wine as well.

Later I moved to the Triangle Tavern, a short ride down the hill, but a giant step up scale. On cold winter evenings I got into the habit of having a little Port while I was tidying up the bar prior to riding my bike up a the long hill to home. The Port was warming for the cold ride, but it was also the first time I regularly sat down to drink a glass of wine by itself. I began to think about that glass of Port . . . I began to think about wine in general . . . I began to buy wine to taste it and think about it. I was getting hooked.