We are Jeff & Sally Toister and we love wine.
Willamette Valley wine region, November 2010Our enthusiasm for wine initially came from family and friends sharing great bottles with us. Later, we would see the same bottle in a store or in a restaurant and remember the great experience we had. This gave us confidence to buy that bottle again since we knew it would be good.
These experiences helped us plan our itinerary when we started traveling from our home in San Diego to wine regions like Napa, Sonoma, and the Willamette Valley. We would visit the wineries that made the wines we enjoyed plus additional wineries suggested by family and friends. These visits deepend our appreciation for the wine making process and the tremendous amount of care, craftsmanship, and love that winemakers put into making the perfect bottle.
This blog is really just an excuse to drink more wine so we have something to write about. However, we have learned a few great rules about enjoying wine.
Rule#1: The one sure way to tell if it is a good wine.
The best way to tell if a bottle of wine is any good is to taste it. If it tastes good, it's a good bottle of wine. Period.
Rule #2: Wine brings people together.
Wine is a great reason to spend time with friends and family. An invitation to "come on over and drink some wine!" is usually met with enthusiasm. Likewise, "Let's go check out a new wine bar," is typically greeted with "Let's!". You can make any occasion seem special with a good bottle of wine.
Rule #3: Remember to have fun and you'll be fine.
We approach wine with a natural curiousity that leads us to fun and interesting experiences. For example, we had a "Hallowine" party in 2010 where we had friends suggest their favorite bottles under $20 (the sharing part) and then tried to pair those wines with Halloween candy. Would you believe that candy corns go really well with Fume' Blanc?