Welcome to The Demystified Vine!
In 2011, while on a winery tour of the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island, I became aware that I had a talent for tasting wine. Winery owners, managers, and tasting room guides mentioned, on various occasions, that they were impressed with my tasting notes. At the time, I had no idea that mentioning “orange blossom” revealed a sensitive nose and palate, nor did I have any idea how to properly do a tasting. At that point, I simply enjoyed taking my time with a sample of wine, inhaling it, analyzing, tasting, analyzing, and then discussing the overall complexities (or lack thereof) of what was being tried with my partner – also a wine lover.
Today, I have begun my journey into the world of wine by broadening my horizons. I am in the middle of my WSET courses, and I am enthusiastically looking forward to working in the industry. My vision is to help others enjoy wine more, either by demystifying various aspects about the wine industry (and specific brands and qualities of wine), or simply by shedding light on new wines I think people will enjoy at an affordable price.
This blog, The Demystified Vine, will feature and outline wines from across the globe. My hope is to apply tasting notes for the wines I have tried alongside a bit of history and fun, factual information. I also hope that you will enjoy your own journey into the wine world, and know that it is not an intimidating place.
Cheers!
Valerie Stride
The Demystified Vine 