Hi.
Welcome to my blog. I drink wine and then write about it. Cheers!
Welcome to my blog. I drink wine and then write about it. Cheers!
My mission in starting Nada to Napa is to make wine approachable. I want anyone and everyone to be able to go to their local liquor store, pick up a bottle of whatever looks good or is on sale, and have a little idea of what they’re about to drink.
This mission started because I’ve reached the ripe old age that shot-gunning PBRs is no longer my favorite weekend activity. Instead of cracking a cold one with the boys, I’d rather pop open a bottle of chardonnay with my girlfriend and find out what the doctors are up to on Greys Anatomy (I know, I feel shame). When I first started, I’d go to parties and bring a bottle of something that I thought had a cool label, or it had a high wine spectator score. There’s nothing wrong with picking a bottle like this, that’s how my girlfriend (who’s from the land of wine, California) picks wine and I love her. But now that I’m learning all the ins and outs of wine, I want to spread the love and help people to understand what kind of wine they’re drinking, and what else they might enjoy.
So how is a 22-year-old college drop-out going to get this done? Well, I’m going to drink a lot of wine, and I’m going do that strictly for your benefit… You’re welcome. The plan is to write Wine Spotlights about random bottles of wine I pull from my local liquor store, or wines that my girlfriend brings home because the label had a cute puppy or adorable slogan. These bottles will be picked with three basic criteria: Wine Spectator scores, what the label looks like, and if I can get it for under $30. I’m not going to get bogged down with pretentious talk (ok, maybe a little pretentious talk), or fancy pairings that no one can afford to do (please, why is fancy cheese from England $15?!). What I will do is tell you what kind of grape is used in the wine, where it’s from, how that region affects the wine, and will even give you some tasting notes that you don’t need a degree in oenology to understand (BOOM! Didn’t even google that word). To top of your new and improved wine experience, I will also include a simple meal or snack that will make your experience with the wine of your choice that much more incredible.
In addition to the Wine Spotlights; I’m also going to post spotlights on different regions, winemaking techniques, and changes within the industry. It’s my chance to nerd out over this!
Who am I? My name is Nick Foley, I am a 22-year-old who is currently studying at the Wine Spirits Education Trust and I’m working on getting my degree in Wine and Spirits. Before I started studying at the WSET, I read anything about wine I could get my uncultured hands on: books, blogs, and the backs of bottles that my parents were drinking. I absorbed wine in every way except drinking it… ok, maybe I drank a little of it.
The reason I love wine so much is it brings people together over a common interest. So let’s pop some corks and drink to fun nights and hopefully not so painful mornings!
-Nick