Hello Slik Skool students! This platform has been through many-a-iteration. When I first opened up Slik Skool, I committed myself to be more integrated by hosting virtual events and participating in every conversation as part of the monthly value. I got a bit of news that I’m letting you know first: I’ve accepted a Registered Nurse job here in Chicago. A new full time job, working on the book, and social media posts are enough for me in my life right now, so my participation will not be part of the monthly package anymore. Since students are still active on this page, I’ve decided to simply make the Chatroom free. I’ll make the Classroom free for everyone in here currently and I will likely add a small one time fee to the On Wine Online course from here on out. After reviewing the course again, it’s a great tool for beginners that I still stand by. These pricing changes will take effect July 15th. The goal is that this page will grow organically into a space where people from Slik’s social pages can trickle in and talk about wine in an approachable and welcoming way. I’ll hop on and respond to questions from time to time and assess what the Slik Skool could use. Thank you for everyone who has been here for the whole ride :) Let me know if you have any questions or comments. Thank you, Marie

Howdy Slik Skool, The most popular goal from Slik Skool students is the ability to pick a wine in any situation. As much as American society likes to tell us there's a quick and easy answer to everything, learning about wine requires nuance and dedication. Everyone starts by describing wine as "tastes like grapes" or "fruity??" because we do not have the context for training our sense of smell. We use our eyes, ears, touch, and taste more thoughtfully, but smell usually comes from an extremely pleasant or foul smell: Freshly baked cookies, newly washed bed sheets, or rotten garbage come to mind. Picking up the small details and evaluating the structure of a wine will ultimately tell you what kind of wines you like (and don't like), and THEN you can start picking wines at a grocery store more confidently. This is more work than someone telling you what wines to drink (this is the solution I see many people go with), but there are problems with blindly following recommendations from someone else. Even the Michelin Guide, which holds the highest praise of restaurant reviews, has its own OPINIONS about what makes a restaurant great. For example, if you don't use fresh ingredients in your restaurant, you'll likely never get a Michelin star (a star is their indication of a great restaurant). As someone from the Midwest, I am quite accustomed to frozen and prepackaged foods that ultimately taste nostalgic and delicious in my own opinion. There are entire cultures in which Spam and processed tubed meats remain a focal point, but Michelin would likely never give them a star (these places might get a Bib Gourmand, which is a different conversation). I might love a place that Michelin would never even consider. The same goes for wine. The famous wine critic Robert Parker might be someone you look to for wine advice, but much like Michelin, he has his particular taste. He loves the big, bold, oaked red wines of Rioja and Napa Valley. If you did not like these wines and followed his advice, you may be led to believe you don't like wines at all. This is why we must find our own path.

Howdy Slik Skool! @Tammy Matlock Had gifted me a bottle of wine from a state I've never had a wine from before: Connecticut! This is from Stonington Winery, which is part of the CT wine trail (something I had never heard of until now). There's a little slew of wineries right near Mystic, CT (anyone seen Mystic Pizza??), it all looks very charming nestled up right along the Long Island Sound, and they grow Chardonnay, Riesling, and Cabernet Franc. This is their Seaport White, which is a proprietary blend, which just means "We're not gonna tell ya", but I'm assuming this is some blend of Riesling and Chardonnay. Look at that alcohol percentage: 12%! Does anyone wanna guess in the comments what that means this wine might taste like before they read on? . . . . This wine is ZIPPY! Super acidic, and has a teeny tiny bit of sweetness that I enjoy. This wine honestly feels like an apertivo that you could add some bubbles to or simply sip with some ice. It's not very contemplative or cerebral, and that's fine by me. It's easy, breezy, beautiful, and would be excellent with a cold crab roll on a hot day or a slice of tomato pie from Sally's Apizza. Thank you again, Tammy, for sharing this with me. <3 Marie P.S. There's a Happy Hour Q&A this Thursday, so mark your calendars ;)

I love hanging out with y'all for happy hour and getting to know you all a bit more. Thanks to everyone who joined today (even if it was only for a minute, @Tammy Matlock ;) ) I'm doing a "wine personality quiz" on the website a la Seventeen Magazine, so I made this visual to go with it. You guys get first dibs to laugh with me. And, why not, you guys can take it early if you want. Here's the preview link: https://quiz.tryinteract.com/#/preview/67bfcc068ad67300152642a1 (it'll ask for your email before your results but you can just give a fake one lol) <3 Marie

Hey Slik Students! Sorry to do this at the very last second, but I had something come up that I have to deal with. I'm moving the Q&A session to tomorrow at the same time. Thank you for being so understanding!