I first got interested, really interested, in wine when I first drank Malbec. Malbec made me curious about “good” Malbecs, other wines, and general information.
So, I started subscribing to wine magazines. I was hoping for basic, grounded information. What I found was a lot of ratings about wines that I couldn’t find. It sent me on treasure hunts around New York City for wines that someone rated anywhere from 90-100 points out of 100. By chance, I found out about Cahors (French) Malbec wines. Why, I wondered, was no one talking about that? So I enrolled in wine classes, to get a rounder sense of the wines from around the world. Sure enough, my instructor agreed, no one – not in wine stores, and not in the magazines – is out to educate drinkers about wine. Then it struck me: I am a writer. I love writing about things that interest me. Wine interests me. AND I saw a wide open market: wine writing for the average drinker. While it is true that my blogs also discuss particular varietals (type of wines), my career goal is really to write an advice column for wine drinkers. I imagine a “Dear Diana” feature wherein people write: “Dear Diana: I love X wine, but can’t afford it. What is similar but less expensive?” or “Dear Diana I am having my boss for dinner. I am cooking X, what wine should I serve?” or even, as I see the need for now, “Dear Diana, I am buying a gift for someone. What should I buy?” In the interim, I receive requests to write about certain wines, ones I have tasted, and my thoughts on them. Because I know wine and have access to wines from around the world, and I can write, I can educate people about wine through my writing. My website is: www.writingonthevine.com