Last Friday, I joined some friends for wine night. This is a regular event that they have been attending for months but was my first time. Although I did have a few glasses of malbec while in Argentina, no one would ever mistake me for a sommelier. I am trying to expand my horizons though and saw this as low-risk.

The event took place outside a bakery café currently undergoing renovations around a makeshift bar with tables and chairs filling a parking lot. They are installing a bar on the back patio as part of the renovations, but the place had a temporary feel that did little to create ambiance. My friends were sitting on barstools talking to the bartender when I arrived. It was clear that they were regulars from their conversation. They had just returned from a trip out west and so were regaling the bartender with some of their stories, and I just listened in also as I hadn’t seen them since they got back either.

I don’t know what wine I had. It was something light in color from Portugal and on the funky side, a bit like some sour beers. For me, the wine wasn’t the point. I wanted to have some conversation after a hectic week of dealing with lawyers on the other side of transactions. I didn’t even choose the wine I drank; I left that decision to my friend who knows me well and know wine much more than I do.

My friends knew everyone who was there and talked to most of them. This was their spot. Being there with them was a reminder of what I have missed thus far in Raleigh. I don’t have my spots yet, and that needs to change. Will change. I write that knowing I’m planning on a short trip away again after the holiday weekend, but summer is the time for this exploration and that will be my focus over the coming months. I encourage you to do the same wherever you are this summer—go out and explore and find your own local spots.