It all started the summer before my senior year of college - when I shared my first glass of Cabernet Sauvignon with my father. Much of the wine I'd had up to that point (please don't judge me) was from a box. I even remember attending a wine and cheese college party where they served boxed wine and spray cheese...yum.

When I came home for summer break, my dad wanted to congratulate me for performing well on my final exams. He told me to "open up one of the nice bottles" that was stashed away in our suburban Chicago home. So naturally, I poured us both a glass. And man was it incredible. It was everything I wanted in a Cabernet: full-bodied, dry, rich, yet with a light mouthfeel - almost like velvet. I savored every sip of wine in that glass.

But more importantly, that glass of wine connected my dad and I. We chatted for hours about our lives: from my junior year recap and the long nights spent studying for finals in the library to how his parents met and fell in love, I learned stories that I will cherish forever.

It was after that moment, I realized the true power and beauty of wine: bringing people together. It doesn't matter who you are or where you're from, when you share a glass of wine with someone you become bonded to them.