Nice to meet you! My name is Rick. I’m the guy in the photo above with Wines and Makers owner Andrea Godard. This picture is significant because it’s a candid shot from the first time Andrea took me to wine country.

Wait. I should back up a little. Andrea and I have been dear friends since middle school, when I thought she looked like Elizabeth Shue in Karate Kid . Throughout the years we’ve been in art classes together, listened to the Smiths in her vintage Falcon, snuck each other into bars, and lived together in San Francisco. She organized my wedding. I go fishing with her dad. And she took me to Sonoma for the first time ten years ago to taste wine.

When I heard she was starting this online wine community with her husband Kevin–who we actually met in a tasting room on that same wine trip above–I was thrilled because I know Andrea and Kevin are passionate about wine and the lifestyle surrounding its enjoyment. Andrea is a brilliant cook and hostess and Kevin has a wisdom about wine-making that comes with years spent in the business.

When Andrea asked me to write a blog about wine, I was a little intimidated, actually. Unlike Kevin, I’m no expert on the subject. My only qualifications for doing this are that I’m an experienced web-logger and that I do love to open a nice bottle in the evening. But Andrea put me at ease by explaining that she wanted this wine community to be different than most. My somewhat pedestrian experience with wine is exactly what she’s looking for, because that puts me in the same company as 75% of wine drinkers out there. I have a few different styles of wine that I enjoy regularly, I know how to swirl and sniff a glass, but I’m interested in learning more. To that end, we’re all in this together on the Wines and Makers blog.

This is the space on Wines and Makers where anything goes. I’m going to taste and review some of the wines you’ll find here, Andrea is going to post some of her musings and amazing recipes to go with the bottles she’s offering–hell, we may even get Kevin to chime in. We want this dialog to be open. I expect to be corrected, directed, and hopefully commended every once in a while for my observations as my own palette “matures.” Don’t hesitate to comment about recipes, add your own reviews, or recommend a bottle from an interesting wine producer that we may be sleeping on. We love hearing from people!

So with all that in mind, here’s to the start of a great party. Let’s slow things down and savor the flavors and experiences that go along with wine drinking.

Cheers!