People have asked me “How did you learn so much about wine?” The simple answer is that I’ve been at it for years. But, for those who are new to wine, I suggest the following:
Reading — Sure, like any subject, you can learn by reading books and magazines. But, I actually suggest holding off on the ‘classroom’ learning and start immediately with a ‘lab’ class. That is, learn by doing.
Wine Tasting — There’s no better way to learn about wine than by tasting. Realize though, you can’t take a crash course. It takes time to learn about wines and to learn your personal preferences. And, for a lot of people who may be used to sweet cocktails, wine often doesn’t taste very good to them at first. So, I suggest starting with sparkling wines or light white wines. But don’t think that a really expensive wine is the best place to start. Start with a pink sparkling wine, a Prosecco or a Cava. Or, a light white wine - a Chenin Blanc, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Grenache Blanc, or a Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris. And, ideally, try more than one wine at a time for comparative purposes. That’s when you can really make headway on the differences in wine.
Splurge on a ‘Good’ wine — Many people who are new to wine tend to look for the $5 bottles of wines. And, there’s nothing wrong with them. But, you’ll also want to periodically wander into the $10 wines and the $15 wines. Again, for comparative purposes. When you are getting started don’t immediately expect that a really expensive wine is going to taste better. Save those for the advanced lab classes.
Continue Expanding the Wines You Taste — After you’ve tried a few light white wines, venture into some more medium-bodied whites: Viognier, Un-oaked Chardonnay, Sémillon or Marsanne. These are going to have a bit bigger flavors. Then, you can expand into a richer white wine such as an oaked Chardonnay.
There’s so much more. So, we’ll continue with more next time. But for now, simply relax and enjoy wine tasting. And remember, there are no wrong answers in wine when it comes to your personal preferences. Cheers!