Confession time: how old were you, and what was it?

My fascination with grapes began early, probably around age 5 when I would stay at a buddy's place after school - his parents had grape arbors running the entire length of the backyard right from their house, which was built circa 1860. The vines, mostly Concords and a couple of Niagaras, provided my earliest contact with the fruit of the vine. The heady aroma of the ripening grapes, always on cue with the end of summer vacation, remains one of my fondest childhood memories to this day.

My first ever sip of wine was actually a spritzer - a bit of Blue Nun diluted with club soda. I actually liked it when I tried it. Years later, the very first bottle of wine that I actually bought and drank myself was a Hungarian Egri Bikaver in an idiosyncratically shaped bottle - haven't seen that particular one around since that time. I was 21 at the time and not yet regularly into wine.

I fondly recall at 16 having for the first time red jug wine on a beach in Panama City during spring break; if before that, it would have been Strawberry Hill.

Oh, WINE! Well, in that case, it would probably be the two bottles of Ripple I drank while in Oceanside, CA just before I left Camp Pendleton to go to Vietnam. From what I've been told, I fell off the pier, but it was low tide, so I landed on the beach and apparently threw up all over the bus on the way back to the base.

I used to sip Welch’s Concorde Wine while watching TV at thirteen.

Is this some homemade stuff? Pretty sure Welchs never made wine, as Welch was a prohibitionist (developed his grape juice so folks could have communion sans alcohol)

The first I remember was a small glass of B & B that my grandfather served me as an aperitif. I was 14 or maybe 15 at the time.

Speaking as a former bartender for a college dormitory function known as "Tequila Night" (1000 guests, $1000 worth of beer and tequila, 1 ground level bathroom -- bad combo)

Boy, you were rich kids! In college I was generally in charge of the PJ (either Purple Jesus or Party juice, according to whim). There's nothing like Everclear (190 proof grain alcohol) and Koolaid!

[David M. Bueker]

2 bottles of Gallo "Chenin Blanc" with screwcaps freshman year of college. Shared them with my girlfriend at the time.

Speaking as a former bartender for a college dormitory function known as "Tequila Night" (1000 guests, $1000 worth of beer and tequila, 1 ground level bathroom -- bad combo)

Boy, you were rich kids! In college I was generally in charge of the PJ (either Purple Jesus or Party juice, according to whim). There's nothing like Everclear (190 proof grain alcohol) and Koolaid!

Hey, entrance fee was $1/head and that paid for all expenses. The PJ was reserved for my one stint making refreshments for our local American Chemical Society chapter meeting: Everclear and pomegranate juice (this was SoCal after all). Hoo boy! Try as I might, I couldn't convince those unsuspecting young chem majors that this was potent stuff (60 proof as I made it) until the inevitable denouement convinced them for me. It was, without question, the most exciting ACS chapter meeting I ever attended

Mark Lipton

Other than the sips of Manischewitz as a child - and we aren't even Jewish - my first experience with wine was at age 15: a jug of Real Sangria at a Foghat concert parking lot pre-party. I think I drank the whole thing.

With parental knowldege I had wine with a bit of water added at holiday events from about the age of 12 (also sips of communion wine as early as 10). My first "illicit" alcohol may have been beers when I was about 19 and dating an "older" man of 24 or 25. I used my sister's ID to get served.
I really didn't sneak wine. Didn't get into it until I was of legal age.

For me, it was Fresca and vodka, when I was a senior in high school. Fresca because it has no calories, and vodka because one of my friends' parents kept a big stash of it around, and I heard that it couldn't be smelled on one's breath, just in case the authorities nabbed us! I drank enough of it to pass out on my front porch on the way back into the house at midnight. Luckily, I woke up in time to sneak in and into my bedroom before my parents found me! They figured it out though, when I could barely sit at the breakfast table and couldn't focus my eyes. They teased me mercilessly, and with good reason, because alcohol was not forbidden in my house--being European, my parents had a very laissez-faire attitude about it, and they routinely offered me wine at special dinners.
Ines

A bit long folks - sorry!

Well apart from Elderberry wine and cider I'd been allowed as a youngster - my first 'sneaky' drink got me in trouble with my parents - which I probably why I can still remember it.

In the house we lived in at the time we had a 'pantry' under the stairs and one evening I think I'd been left alone 'on trust' as my parents were chatting with another couple a few houses away.

Since my sister had just left home after getting married - she's seven years older than me - and my brother (five years older) was out with friends. I'd be about thirteen.

There's was an old half-full bottle in this pantry on a high shelf - and I still remember that it was 'Commandery St John'

Well I decided to have a few sips - and of course it seemed very powerful.

Well I thought I was OK - nobody asked me any questions when they got back - at least to the best of my memory - and they didn't smell anything either.

Then - that night - about 1pm or something there was an almighty 'BANG!'

The whole house was wakenned - and after a short search the pantry door was openned - and there was wine and glass all over the place!!

I reluctantly owned up - well I said I might have moved it getting to something on the shelf - which wasn't believed.

Anyway this bottle hadn't been moved for at least two years - maybe more - and somehow my shaking up by getting a drink out of it had done something to cause it to explode.

Cheers, Dave C