Welcome to the Cheeky Vino. I’m Ella, and I am a wine-obsessed lady from Brisbane, Australia. If you’re on the About page, I’m guessing you want to know why I am writing this blog and what it’s about. Well, I’ll start at the beginning.
Why did I start the Cheeky Vino? Writing is a hobby of mine that I’ve enjoyed since I was little, and this has led me to start writing (and not finishing) countless novels, and numerous blogs. But I never found a topic to write about that stuck.
When I was writing a food blog, because I love cooking and eating (who doesn’t), I started to dabble in writing about wine. They were a natural match, but I realized that I enjoyed writing about wine way more than food. It was like a wine glass shaped light bulb went off in my head. I had found my passion.
Where the wine love affair began
I didn’t love wine until I went to Europe in my early 20’s, and the love affair began. This was strengthened by meeting my husband who was the first to really help me experience how great wine can be. He took me on my first winery tour in Sonoma Valley, California, and I fell head over heels. For the wine, that is, although I guess him too!
Over the years I’ve learnt so much more about wine and realized just how complicated it can be. There is so much to it, and it can become quite confusing.
Even though I was trying to educate myself, I felt I couldn’t make an informed decision at a bottle shop on which wine to pick. Then when you try to learn more about wine, you are hit with the stuffiness of the industry. Most reviews are written in a way that means nothing to the average wine drinker, and unless you’re going to go and get qualified, you’re not going to feel like you know what anyone is talking about.
I realized that sometimes it was just too hard to understand. Where was the voice that talked about just good wine, without all the stuffiness of the industry?
Enter the Cheeky Vino
The Cheeky Vino’s aim is to be that voice. The guiding light that helps you choose the best bottle under $10, or explain what a tannin is. After all, wine should be about enjoyment.
Everyone has different tastes, different budgets and different needs for their wine. You don’t always need a 99 point wine. Sometimes you just want a good one to go with a takeaway pizza. But how do you find them, and how can you buy with confidence?
The Cheeky Vino is about putting the fun back in wine. I want to make wine fun and accessible to everyone. I want you to be able to go into a bottle store and know what to look for, without feeling confused. Wine can seem like this thing that is all too hard to understand and it shouldn’t be like this! We enjoy drinking wine, so why is understanding it so hard?
My aim is to make wine easy to understand. In amongst reviews of wine I’ve tried and loved, I’m writing about all things wine, so you can learn more about it. I hope that the Cheeky Vino helps you to understand wine so you can enjoy it for what it is: fun and delicious. After all, wine shouldn’t be hard.
What to expect from the Cheeky Vino
What you’ll find on the Cheeky Vino is real, honest reviews of wines that I love. Rather than rattling off tasting notes that no one really understands, I aim to take wine back to pure enjoyment. With a bit of learning and fun on the side! I am by no means an expert, but I love wine, so I will share this with you.
Since the journey began, I’ve done WSET2 to understand wine even more. I did this so I can bring you even better content from a place of knowledge.
What I bring to you is more than wine reviews. I want to help you understand wine so you can enjoy it even more. Think of me as your magical wine spirit guide helping you unlock the next level of your wine journey. Through videos, articles on terms and musings around all things wines, I hope to help you navigate the world of wine. Hopefully, we’ll all have a bit of fun doing it too, because if you’re drinking wine and not having fun, what’s the point?
If you want more, please follow the Cheeky Vino social accounts, or reach out to me at thecheekyvino@gmail.com.