I have been wine tasting on 2 other occasions and frankly have always been a bit intimidated by the process. I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast each day let alone remember the make up of the different bouquets of 20+ wines and pick a favorite! I typically pick my wine by how cute the label is! The first time I did any wine tasting was on an Alaskan cruise. And since alcohol on the cruise is extra, the complimentary tasting was a nice cheap way to kick off the evening. If I remember correctly (which we've already established is sketchy at best) we ended that evening with kareoke which I loathe, so mission accomplished on the free wine!
The second time I did any wine tasting I was with my cousin Lillian in Baltimore. She was doing a year of her med school at Johns Hopkins and we had a blast, although the wine (again if I remember correctly) was nothing really to write home about.
So I was crazy excited to go wine tasting in CA when I learned that purely by coincidence my friends were going to be out here at the same time I was. So I had a nice leisurely drive down to Paso Robles from San Fran and spent 24 hours drinking and learning about wine and having a fabulous time. I learned a ton and can't wait for the myriad of wine I bought to make the trip to MI in a few weeks. Right now I can't remember all that I bought, but I do remember having a wonderfully relaxing day with some amazingly friendly and incredibly hospitable people and I can't wait to come back and do it all again! Have to keep the memories fresh and a bit fermented if they are going to keep! :-)