As a 22-year old uni student, I feel like I am expected to know more about ‘Goon’ than Grenache, counting my drinks by the inflatable bag, rather than by loose corks. Now, there is no denying I have mixed the odd cask of ‘Fruity Lexia’ with some sickeningly sweet juice- it’s a right of passage, similar to drinking a Guinness in Ireland. However, I feel the average uni student gets a bad wrap when it comes to stereotypical alcohol consumption- well at least when it comes to product.
It has been my experience that uni is a time of transition regarding the development of alcoholic tastebuds. It reminds me of that awkward ‘tweenage’ stage and fashion choices. I remember being small enough to still shop in the children’s section, but had the swimmer’s shoulders that meant I was ready to move into ‘grown-up’ clothing. The children’s clothes were girly, all flowery and frilly, yet cheaper. Then again, the older clothes were a little too mature, bordering on sexy- mostly importantly they were an unknown mass.
Fresh, first year students have most likely just moved out of home and are still working out budgets, discovering diversity, yet still going with the crowds to feel safe. Therefore, the cheap, cheerful cask wine is prevalent on drinking agendas, adjusting the taste according to fruity or dry wine and mixer drink. Many inventive party punches are a shining example of this. After one too many shocking hangovers, they start to branch out- perhaps drinking a bottle, rather than a bag of wine, an important catalyst of wine discovery and education.
The next challenge, generally coming into play around the late second year of study, is finding a good wine, a wine they enjoy to sip, not chug, mostly within the restriction of a student budget. It is here that a lucky minority, a community of wine loving students, are afforded the opportunity to guide their friends, and watch as they come to develop their own appreciation for wine.
I feel that recently, many of my friends have reached this stage, and I’ll often be on the receiving end of random phone calls to discuss a wine they just purchased or tried. This can also take the form of a food and wine matching hotline on occasion, something my parents are also guilty of utilising!
Savvy Plonk has been developed to help assist this transition into wine culture, after all, knowledge is power. Also, I find it starts a lot of good conversations. Some of the wines suggested here are a little hard to come by, some perhaps more than a student budget allows, but all are fantastic varietal examples that will provide an excellent basis for wine education.
Enjoy all that the wine experience has to offer. Grab a bunch of mates and a bottle of wine, cook dinner and share some laughs. Better yet, rock up to the nearest pretentious wine bar and tell them what’s what! Most importantly, never stop tasting.
