I was recently watching an episode of Good Times and Ned the Wino was in it. For those of you who don’t  know Ned the Wino was known as the local drunk. During the episode, I began to think about what type of libation he commonly drank. My assumption is he probably drank beer or liquor and not wine. So I said, why was he referred to as a wino and not just simply a drunk? Also, why does the term wino have such a negative connotation?

After doing a little research, I learned the term wino has a few different definitions but the most common theme in the definition was someone who was addicted to wine. So I said to my self, “Self, does the amount of wine I consume constitute me as being labeled a wino?” Of course not! While, I enjoy drinking wine, my average consumption does not categorize me as being addicted to wine therefore I could not be considered a wino. However, for the purposes of this blog I would rather call myself a Wine Enthusiast.

Over the last two weekends, I’ve had the pleasure of attending two big wine events in MD. The first one was Wine in the Woods held in Columbia, MD and the other was the Linganore Wine Festival in Mt. Airy, MD.  I had a blast at both events which had some similarities. Each event had vendors who sold food, jewelry, clothes and art. But most importantly there was WINE!

At Wine in the Woods, there was chardonnay, ice wine, sangria, riesling, shiraz, pinot grigio, merlot, red blends, cabernet sauvignon, etc… I was so overwhelmed with the choices, the amount of people and the hot temperature, I didn’t know what to do with myself! We ended up drinking some green apple riesling which was delicious. And the rain held off until we left and got to the car, thankfully.

At the Linganore Caribbean Wine Festival (which we got to late of course) there was a combination of good music, great company and good wine so there was nothing else to do but feel IRIE!  We met new people who allowed us to eat, drink and be merry with them. Who could ask for anything more?

All in all, this enthusiastic wine drinker would rather be considered just that as opposed to a wino. So which one are you?