To all the wine lovers out there...this is for you; Cheers :-)

Dear Steemers,

This is only my second post after my #introduceyourself post. In the latter, I mentioned you would see me post about wine quite often, so I thought I might as well start from there :). I hope you like it and that it ignites you to share your thoughts and experiences as well.

Photo credits: @supernoval

My love story with wine dates many years back, when I was still a child (about 12-13 year old). This was the time my parents decided to build a big vineyard and start producing wine, red wine, exactly the one I am drinking in the picture above.

...and the one inside the bottles herein below..

I remember that everything started as a normal fun activity. I was always present in the meetings my dad had with the vintner (or winemaker). They would be talking and I would be listening, they would be working and I would be watching, they would be tasting wine and I would be tasting wine :).

Slowly but surely then, I started to be very much interested in it. This is when I first learned how to quasi-examine and rate the different qualities of wine (as a little amateur of course ;) ).

I took this picture on a sunny Sunday and the small bench is my favorite handmade bench!

Today, I read and learn about wine on a continuous basis and the more I get to know it, the more I love it. Actually, my aspiration is that some day I will be prepared and brave enough to take over what my parents started and bring it forward...please wish me luck with that :-)

This is me captured by a friend while enjoying this favorite drink of mine.

The production of wine in Albania is actually quite spread and it dates many many years ago. In fact Jancis Robinson, one of my favorite wine critics, on the wine encyclopedia, “The Oxford Companion to Wine” – 1994, writes that: "Albania can claim with some justification to be the cradle of European viticulture".

Oh well, the gorgeous Albanian climate and fertile lands remain a true blessing in so many directions.

Please feel free to satisfy your eye with some images showing Albanian wine-making:

(Source of the following three images: https://vargmal.org/dan5216).

Wearing traditional clothes and crushing the grapes in the traditional way.

I mean, very sexy crushing :).

The process continues...

Now, let's slightly change the subject and talk about how in choosing the right wine to consume, we often become "victims" of certain myths that we hear to be as unwritten laws. More specifically, I will list below five common wine myths that exist out there and I hope you guys find them helpful (source: Jancis Robinson - "The 24-hour Wine Expert"):

Photo credits: @supernoval

1. The more expensive the bottle, the better the wine
   Best value bottles retail between £8 and £20. Below £8 there's usually too little left after fixed costs and taxes to pay for the wine, so poor quality is likely. Above £20 and you risk paying for ego, 'positioning' and the vagaries of the fine-wine market.

2. The heavier the bottle, the better the wine
   Wine producers, particularly in Spanish-speaking countries for some reason, have used thick glass as a marketing tool, but it is very wasteful of the world's resources and most top wine producers are more sensible.

3. Really good wines come in a bottle with an indentation ('punt') in the base
   Punts are often there for marketing reasons.

4. Red wine is stronger than white
   Many reds made today are only 12% or less.

5. Pink wines and sweet wines are for women
   Pur-lease.

This is it from me for tonight dear Steemers.

Please share your thoughts on this as I would love to hear them.

Love to all and keep cheering ;-)

@thesteemamateur