Drink Outside the Box by Shelby Vittek

Try to remember the first time you stepped foot into a wine store. If you were following the law, you had just turned 21. Most likely you were still a college student living on a limited budget. And you definitely didn’t arrive with a detailed shopping list in hand, let alone clipped out reviews from the Wine Spectator or scores from Robert Parker.

Did you feel uncomfortable and inexperienced? Did choosing a wine take you an extremely long time? Did you annoy the store clerk with questions even a caveman could answer? Did you panic, give up under pressure, and grab a bottle only because you had seen it before?

Shelby Vittek has been there, and she’s here to help. She’s been advocating for students to drink outside the box (of wine) since her third year of college, when she gave up pre-med and Slap the Bag for writing and the world of wine. In this entertaining, offbeat guide, she shares her own journey from frat parties and Franzia to professional tastings and Spanish grape harvests, all while answering the fundamental questions about wine that plague readers of any age: What is terroir? What should wine smell like? What can a wine label tell me? Drink Outside the Box is your cheat sheet for one of life’s most nerve-racking practical exams: choosing the perfect wine, even on a college student’s budget.