Wine is Life. There. I said it.

Over the years I’ve gone from hating wine, to liking wine in bag, to loving wine, to knowing wine.

When I was in high school, (don’t judge me) I tried wine for the first time. It was terrible and I hated it. As time went on, I started to become friends with it. I would only drink Moscato, Riesling and Rosé. Because that’s what my palette tolerated. I stuck to that for some time, well into college. Where we would buy wine by the box, specifically Franzia and play games that involved slapping a bag and then chugging it. Fun times.

In my twenties, I began branching out trying wines that were offered to me, liking some and hating others. By this time, I knew I hated Chardonnay and most reds. But I began to like drier wines like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. Then I graduated college.. and become a real adult. By that I mean, this is where I stopped drinking liquor and only drank wine. Wine hangovers were tolerable. Vodka ones were not.

One day, out of nowhere I ordered a Malbec. I left the cozy confines of sugar riddled white wine and never looked back. I drank Malbec and only Malbec for two years straight. My lips stained purple from ages 23-25, a trying time. A time where no other wine could be as fine as full bodied Malbec. Call me crazy, because anyone who drinks Malbec knows this wine is thick and deep purple with bold flavors. I have no idea why I fell in love with it, but I did. Specifically the brand, Layer Cake. Which was $18 at Whole Foods. Not only was $18 out of my budget, but so was Whole Foods. I can’t even tell you what I was doing there, but I must have already been a little wine drunk when I went.

When my quarter life birthday came upon, I thought it was best time I tried some other reds. Mostly because the more we ate out, the more I noticed Malbec not on the wine menu.

Merlot was my next infatuation, and still is. It’s usually on all of the wine menus. Then a little Syrah, with Pinot Noir heading up the rear.

Don’t let my red hue fool you. It’s just the tannins in my skin, but on a hot blistering day, of course I’ll take a Rosé.

Want to know my favorite places to wine on the weekends? Check out Wine Day Trips you can take from Los Angeles.