Basignani…it’s a name I grew up with, from my mom’s bottle of Chardonnay in the refrigerator to passing the understated sign beneath a canopy of leaves on Falls Road on my way to Baltimore from my parents’ place in North-central Maryland. When I decided last fall to get to know the Maryland wine industry a little better, I couldn’t think of a better place to stain my fingers purple with ink and juice.
Who am I? Why would I want to get to know wine? Is my adventure worth the time it will take you to read this post?
Well to answer the first of the questions, I am a senior at Loyola University Maryland majoring in writing with a minor in economics. (Writing? Yes, writing. It is actually a major, not just an offshoot of the literature or communications departments. And though I cannot promise that my prose will always be impeccable or my attempts at humor neatly crafted, I will make the bold claim that this blog will be one of a kind: completely free of grammatical errors.)
Wine is something of a new passion for me. The first time I tried wine, well, I wasn’t terribly impressed. In fact, my eight-year-old self was quite willing--eager even--to return to the sweet effervescence of the sparkling cider my aunt kept in the fridge for me on special occasions (it was years before I again asked for a sip of her drink). But following sixth months in Europe and my recent twenty-first birthday, I’ve become a bit of a wino. Now, I use wino to loosely mean that I prefer a good glass of wine to any other type of alcohol--I’m certainly not a wine snob (yet…), but by the time I leave Basignani in May, I plan to have acquired a discriminating palate truly deserving of the appellation. I may never be a Nose (I’m told that’s a skill you either have or you don’t), but I’m a great believer in education. As winter turns into spring, I shall stumble my way through a crash course in winemaking, learn how to taste with the somewhat dubious help of Wine for Dummies, and figure out what all the fuss is about.
If you’re thinking, “not another beginner’s wine blog” with a slightly derisive tone to your inner-voice, don’t worry! I won’t be tasting a bottle or five a week. But I will be letting you know what’s going on behind the scenes at Basignani. Sure, I may occasionally wax eloquent about a bottle of Marisa (our blend of Foch, Chambourcin, and Chancellor) or the Reisling we can’t seem to keep on the shelves, but then I can hardly improve my palate if I don’t taste some good wines.
So, I invite you to join me as I meet the family, get barrel-deep in Basignani grapes, and (hopefully) find my footing in time to do justice to this year’s bottling.
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