October 2018

Update: As you can see below my original focus was to write about wines from Spanish speaking countries but alas I find myself intrigued by so many things that I’ve decided I can’t limit myself to just Spanish. From here on out it will be things that have to do with wine, literature, spirits, history, et al. My motto is changing from “Vamos…con vino y sin miedo”–Let’s go…with wine and without fear to “Vamos…con copa y sin miedo“–Let’s go…with glass and without fear.

 

January 2018

Writing, tasting, writing, tasting. I started this because I want to write more about wine and not just write tasting notes. I’ve spent a good portion of my wine career representing wines from Argentina, Chile, and Spain. I’ve spent many days working with and talking to winemakers and winery personnel. While I learned a lot I also realize that I often learned a lot more about the wine or winery when I was talking to them in Spanish. Those conversations not only helped to improve my Spanish but to also improve my technical wine Spanish.

Although part of my youth was spent in Puerto Rico, when I was in college I spent a semester abroad at the University of Cordoba in Andalucia, Spain. My first wine lesson there was that if you ask for a glass of white wine you need to understand that that wine will likely be Fino. Someone suggested I order red because it would have a lower alcohol content.

It has been a long time since I’ve been to Cordoba but I hope to be back soon. Until then,

Vamos…con vino y sin miedo,

Marissa Ocasio

drinknowledge@gmail.com