Taylor

About Me

Taylor is an internationally syndicated wine columnist and consultant who educates consumers about her favorite beverage in numerous publications, at seminars and on her website, tayloreason.com. An Atlanta native, she earned her undergraduate degree in English and French Literature from Colgate University, whose proximity to New York Finger Lakes wineries lured her into a fascination with the grape. After graduating, she enrolled at Ecôle Hotelière de Genève in Switzerland, a 15-month restaurant management school that teaches cooking techniques and European wine education. She traveled extensively during her stay in Europe to French, German and Italian wine countries, becoming more wine geeky everyday. Today, she still treks the world stoking her love of wine, but lives in Tampa with her husband, three cats and their coveted wine collection.

Weekend Warrior/ November 22, 2009- Me and my new metal best friend spent a lot of time together this weekend. On Friday night, I hosted an in-home wine tasting for Aimee and John who won the tasting at the Tampa Theatre silent auction. 2 cases of wine, in the "trunk" they go.  The SUV trunk space has been the most exciting (and I don't use that word lightly) part of the SRX Experience for me. I normally drive a Mini Cooper. Need I say more? So not having to lean over in the back seat of my car to lift 40 pounds of wine bottles is a refreshing change. But here's the coolest part... the little adjustable velcro pads that hold boxes in place (see pic). I just can't get over them. Ingenious.   Saturday, I ran errands, successfully shoving 4 bags of groceries into the trunk. That night, I showed it off to some friends -- letting them feel its leather, enjoy the double length sunroof, the roomy interior. Not to sound like a PR wonk, it's a pretty cool car. But perhaps the coolest part of the car so far has been using OnStar. Having seen endless TV commercials about how it calls you if you're in an accident, I learned there are other, more convenient uses for OnStar: calling for directions. You push the little button, it calls a super polite 411-like operator and you tell them where you need to go. I wanted to go to a new restaurant in Lutz called The Vine. So new (5 months open), OnStar didn't have it in their database. But that didn't stop the friendly boy-scout-like helper. The operator put me on hold and probably Googled it, then came up back with the address. THEN, she downloaded the driving instructions into the GPS system in the car. Yes, folks, Big Brother has arrived, but this sibling had a friendly face and a voice like Stephen Hawking. A girl could get used to this...READ MORE

Sweet, Sweet Ride/ November 19, 2009- I have to start off by saying what a cool gig this is... driving an uber luxury car for free for five days. I must've lived well recently. I'm no stranger to Cadillacs. I drove one for a few years after my Dad took pity on me and handed down his fully-loaded Deville in my early 20's. I think back wistfully on those days of quiet comfort while barrelling down the road in my the extremely noisy Mini Cooper Convertible. Drop tops are not particularly known for their serene driving experience, you see. I'm happy to enjoy the peacefulness. So far, my first impressions of the SRX are positive. I've never owned an SUV before and taking cases of wine in and out of the back has been a less back-breaking chore. The trunk even has removable velcro fasteners that stick to the carpet to keep your cargo in place (pictures coming). Nice touch guys!READ MORE