39 year old, semi-seasoned traveller. I pretty much stick to Italians as far as wine goes. Once I find soemthing I really like, it's hard to peel me away. I'm heading to France in August though, and plan to hit some vineyards in Loire Valley. Any suggestions will be well-received!

My favorite story (names and places have been changed to incriminate the enemy):

In 1986, Wolf Verine was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from the University of Michigan.

On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Wolf approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant's foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Wolf worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Wolf stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Wolf never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Wolf was walking through the Ann Arbor Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Wolf and his son were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Wolf, lifted its front foot off the ground, then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Wolf couldn't help wondering if this was the same elephant. Wolf summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Wolf's legs and slammed his stupid ass against the railing, killing him instantly.

Probably wasn't the same elephant.

My favorite everyday drinker is Pio Cesare Barolo. For the most part, I'm into all big Italians (barolo, amarone, chianti, valpolicella, etc.).