So as I am trying to figure out what I want to be when I grow up, I am honing in on all my hobbies.  Besides food, I have a love affair with wine.  It's quite exciting because once I think I have it all figure it, it will draw back and give me another subtle surprise.  So I decided to set forward and check out the International Sommelier Guild.  I took the Wine Fundamentals of I & II and let's just say, the class kicked my butt.

As an atypical Asian, I was not very good at math or science.  In fact, my cousins use to belt out the Chinese Anthem, (well more like the HK pop anthem, since we were all born in USA, that is the only one we know) emphasizing how I have embarrassed our race because I don't know how to solve for X.  But in my defense, compare to my white friends, I was still good enough in math where they cannot tell the difference but I digress.  I was not at the top of my class and did not aspire to be in the medical field.  In fact, the only stereo-type I fit in is that I am a horrible driver.  What I am trying to say is the I am not the studious type but this class was so intense that I had to really read to stay on top of things.  It paid off because I did passed the Wine Fundamentals I & II and looking forward to the Sommelier Diploma Program in the fall.  

The class is 6 hours long and only once a week on Sundays.  Our instructor Heath Huidt is relaxed and extremely knowledgeable.  We crack open on average 11 bottles each class.   The test are not too bad, they are multiple choice but the most difficult part is the essay.  Wow, I felt like I was back in college again.  I must say, the hardest thing about this class was not studying or testing.  It was learning how to spit out the wine.  But once you can blind taste the grape and guess it correctly, it's worth it.

Fine dining has become less and less rigid, with all the foodies and celebrity chefs, it has finally become a state of pleasure and enjoyment.  Plus being a female, its awesome to strut into the "all boys" club, just for fun.  Women are the majority wine drinkers.  And the labeling, they are not made for guys, they are geared toward the ladies.  Plus, our palates are more sensitive then men, so it only make sense for us to ease into this industry.

Knowledge is power and 'Life is like wine, the longer you take to enjoy it, the more chance you've got of tasting vinegar.' I will keep you guys posted and we will see where this takes me! Here are some books that I enjoyed reading while I was taking this course.