Dr. Shellie

Inspired by the possibility of creating my own unique, bold research vision, I have decided to simulataneously create my own unique, bold wine vision. Now, I know that wine is in some ways a very stupid thing to get interested in, simply because the more you develop your taste, the more money you end up spending. But you could say the same for research. Anyway, sometimes you want to have some people over for dinner, and then it is best to know how to buy wine that doesn’t totally stink.

For the last five years, my tried and true wine-buying method was this: I went to the friendly, local wine store. I located the friendly and knowledgeable store employee. I told him what I was eating (Thai mussels, say) and how much money I had (usually less than $12) and he pointed at a wine. I drank it. It did not stink.

Sadly, I moved cities to start a postdoc and no friendly, local wine store presents itself. Last weekend I went to the Wine Megastore and asked someone for advice. He pointed me at a $9.99 Merlot. It stunk. It stunk so badly I stopped drinking after half a glass and considered never drinking red wine again. Lacking any suitable Wine Authority Figure I decided the time had come to develop my own opinions. I bought 5 bottles of wine and invited friends over for dinner on five separate occasions. We drank. We contemplated. I labelled each bottle with a Post-It note: "GOOD," "AWFUL," or "NOT BAD." I am keeping them on my counter for reference. And so, dear readers, I have arrived at my very first wine opinion: I do not like Merlot.