My name is Randy Watson, I'm 30, and I'm a Wine Whore.

I wasn’t always addicted to wine...

Being born in North Miami Beach, Florida isn't exactly the same as being raised amongst the rolling hills garnished by vineyards found in wine country. I grew up thinking I would become a doctor. Didn't happen. I went to the University of Miami with a dream and a heavy course load of science, math, and everything else most people don't enjoy learning, and I came out with a Bachelors in Science (Biology and Chemistry) and a desire to go into business instead of medicine. Mom was so proud!

Isn't it funny how things change so quickly in life?

Instead of going to med school, I painfully worked through my MBA degree. Let me just say that "painful" doesn’t quite sum up how much it sucked having to get up, work a full day, take classes at night and then have to start it all over again the next day for almost four years. If I learned anything by this experience, I learned that I no longer wanted to spend time learning in a classroom. Instead of this grind, I wanted to learn about the world firsthand.



Where would anyone looking to satisfy their desire to learn about the world move to but the wonderful city of Tampa, FL. Okay, given the fact that I love wine, maybe this was a bad choice. Oddly enough, after living here for almost 5 years, I think I made a great decision. Life is good. The people I've met are among the best friends I could ever hope to have, I have a solid day job working as a Manager in I.T., and I will have been happily married for two years this coming February. (I have to tell you more about my honeymoon, but I'll save that for another post)

You may be wondering, what does any of this have to do with wine?

The answer: absolutely nothing and everything all at the same time.



My affair with alcohol began with hard liquor. In high school (I know… underage but hey, who didn't drink before they were 21) I would drink the cheapest, crappiest vodka I could get my hands on. Looking back it seems pretty pathetic, but these are amongst some of the my fondest memories. I was young and stupid… really stupid. The thrill of discovery of how alcohol, when enjoyed responsibly of course, can lead to great conversations, fun, and friends made up for the lack of quality. The hangovers, on the other hand, were not so desirable.



In college, my buddies and I would anxiously plan out and await the end of the day because it afforded us the chance to hang out and enjoy a case (or four) of beer. College drinking was very similar to high-school drinking. It wasn't about quality, it was just about having fun. Before college, I never really drank much beer, but these are the years that taught me how to tap a keg, kill a beer funnel in less than 2 seconds, and create a punch concoction in a garbage can that could keep a tailgate going for hours.

Good times!



At some point towards the end of college I was turned on to something I never before had known. It was right in front of me the whole time, I just couldn’t see it. It took someone blatantly pointing it out for me to realize what it was. The moment that made it all clear: the first time I enjoyed a first-class bottle of wine, a fine glass of Cognac, and a beautifully bold cigar. Although I couldn't tell you exactly which bottle of wine it was, I could tell you exactly why I enjoyed it. Aside from a nice buzz, it tasted pure Zen.

It was at this point, I sought out perfection. The more I learned, the more I realized how little I really knew. I became addicted to this pursuit, spending much if not all of my free time, researching and learning. Unlike my immature high school days, my palate was thirsty for discovery. It didn’t take long before I became sick of scouring the internet and magazines only to find the same mundane information over and over again, I realized that there was only one way I could ever satisfy my addiction. It would be a sinfully dirty adventure that my liver would be sure to regret undertaking. I had no choice but to have an affair with wine…

It was at this point that I became The Wine Whore.

We are all out of time for today’s session. Tomorrow, I'll reveal the shocking secret about what my addiction to wine has done to my life. In the meantime, if you love wine, take a second to introduce yourself and share the memory of your first affair with vino with others who have the same passion here.




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

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