Wine...DUH

[EricT]

I enjoy wine with food. Heck, I enjoy wine by itself. And I think I can tell good wine from bad when I taste it. The best wines I've tasted have sort of lingered on the pallet, presenting one flavor after another over several seconds. This is one of the most sublime culinary experiences, and one I hope to relive often.

The problem is I am a total dummy about wine. Put me in a wine shop and I am completely lost. How can I select good wine consistently, amongst the hundreds of labels and varieties? Can you folks give me some tips, or at least direct me to some resources where I can begin to learn?

[henry]

I'm in your boat too.

However, a few months ago, I took a wine class from a very respectable chef in his restaurant. The theme of the class was Old World vs New World, or French wines vs California Wines. I think we ended up tasting about 6 different wines, also he had prepared small amounts of food on a plate to sample with each.
The wines were simple to complex, cheap to moderate priced.

I found out I liked blended Italian cabs. Not only was the class interesting, some very fun people were there. One group of ten was a bible study group from another town, who frequented this chef's classes, and had even done a wine trip to the Sonoma Valley together.

Then we got into a Reidel glass discussion--didn't see that coming. I knew nothing about wine glasses.

Good luck in your search. Will be fun.

h.

[monk]

Hello Eric -
I am convinced Anyone can learn to appreciate wine - and more importantly, to consistently figure out what they Like. I believe the 'issue' is two-fold: in wine stores you need to find a professional who does not 'act snooty' - who tailors their delivery to their audience. Wine is a personal thing, and if you come across a 'pro' who does not politely ask you what you are looking for/want, move on. Second, you need to convince yourself that you have the 'pipes' (taste and nose) to know what you like ('trust me' - you do) - the difference between you and I and the 'pros' is Experience and Vocabulary (OK, some genetics too.) If, for example, you taste enough Merlot, you understand the 'typical' flavors and styles, and learn the vocabulary. You and I may not have the means/time to do so - so how do we proceed? Good Wine Tasting Groups ARE GOLD - the best way to learn and not bust your wallet. Reading about wines is very good (a la the Wine Bible, by Karen MacNeil - excellent overview), but you can't get experience without tasting wine. If tasting an 'excellent' New Zealend Sauvignon Blanc, and someone says 'gooseberries' - it's useless unless you know what a gooseberry is, OR that 'unique' taste you have is connected to 'gooseberry' - then you have the connection to decide what you like. If you aren't comfortable with a 'huge' overview, pick your favorite wine and learn all you can, and Taste. You can easily be overwhelmed - beware. You want a tasting group with a range of experience - too many 'rookies' will confuse you, too many 'snotties' will monopolize, although a good moderator will offset these issues. I also encourage you to rate wines twice - once on their merits by themselves,and a second rating relative to food. I have had many excellent teachers in this regard, and have spent many pleasant hours 'arguing' whether the wine was best displayed on its own, or whether it 'absolutely' was made to be matched to food.
So, a long rambling to tell you to find friends who want to learn, and Go Taste. Cheers!

[EricT]

Good suggestion, Monk. I don't know of any tasting groups, but there are a couple of restaurants in my area that have tasting events where they serve several small courses, each one with a different wine. Maybe I'll try that to start with.

[SGMChef]

Hi EricT,

You may also want look into any tastings available at local wine merchants. Restaurant tastings are fine for the wines that that restaurant carries, on their wine list, to complement their menu, but a knowledgeable sales person at the place where YOU would buy the wines, minus the 300% mark-up, can also be very useful. If you foster a good relationship with a good sales person that knows what you like, they can make recommendations based on your palate until you gain more experience and confidence. (My opinion, of course!)

The more wine you drink, the more you will find certain regional and varietal wines that you enjoy. When you taste a wine you may want to keep a journal, noting details and things like “This would be great for the Shrimp with Garlic Linguine I do” or “Great for a hot summer day“. I started keeping the labels and pasting them into the notes pages as well. I was lucky in my early days and found that someone in the local wine shop that had 40+ years of experience and didn’t mind sharing his knowledge.

If there is a cooking school nearby, they may offer a wine appreciation class as well.

Good Luck and happy wine exploring!

[Myplaceoryours]

Hey EricT, welcome to vino confusione. Many years ago I tried to fully understand wine. I learned to drink wine starting at about age ten as a kid of Russian heritage living within a circle of italian families in San Francisco. I learned first of all that wine in a water glass can be just as good as wine in a fancy goblet. It may not be as pretty, but it tastes good just the same. I learned that there are too many wines in the world for anyone to taste in a lifetime and that all I needed to know is that if I tasted it and liked it, it was good wine. It's easy to get all wound up in trying to describe wine to others and I don't have the time or interest to bother with dentifying buttery flalvors, berry flavors, acidity, etc. So I taste wines and, if I like them, I buy them. I have about eight or ten wines that I use almost exclusively while I try others from time to time. The most important thing I've learned about wine is "if you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it". I've experienced wine at a hundred dollars a bottle that I didn't like nearly as well as some I've tried at fifteen dollars a bottle. It's your call - go for it.