I’m a 29 y.o male living in somewhat rural Wisconsin. In the last 2-3 years I’ve really started to enjoy Napa cabs and have collected a handful of bottles I enjoy from the region. I want to turn this into a bigger hobby, but I am also struggling to find a way to enjoy it with others. Any suggestions to make this a more sociable activity?
Thanks!
-Travis
Welcome Travis.
Where in Wisconsin? It’s a pretty big place! There may be some folks on here that are near to you that might be interested.
Local wine shops/wine bars or even restaurants with decent wine lists can be good start. Does your local supper club have a corkage policy? I’m sure some of your cabs would go great with prime rib.
I find the path of least resistance to having wine friends is getting the friends you have into it by sharing some good wines with them.
I’m towards Johnson Creek, in between Madison and Milwaukee. There aren’t many stores beyond Total Wine that sell anything meaningful. Unfortunately, Wisconsin doesn’t allow outside alcohol in restaurants. Perhaps I will have to focus on more of an online community!
Thanks for the warm welcome! 
I did not know that. My family has a house in Green Lake that we get to often, but I guess corkage has never come up since we’re usually only eating out for a fish fry.
Wisconsin: kids can drink, but you can’t BYOB!
This. I was very young when I started and no one I knew was interested in wine, so I just started hosting wine tastings at my house and invited all my friends, asking them to contribute £10 each - not bad for a night out. Some of them turned into wine friends.
But Wine Berserkers has been a great source of people who’ve already got the bug.
Developing relationships with folks in the business can be a great way to map out the local community. Become a regular at places that serve what you like and talk to the somms, wine directors, and wine bartenders. Search out wine education courses in the local area and get to know the educators and other students. These folks all love to talk about their interests and are connected to other collectors and amateurs in the area.