The question beginning wine enthusiasts ask me most frequently is, “How can I start learning more about wine?”
A visit to a local wine shop or a glance at a restaurant wine list can be a confusing and intimidating experience, but it doesn’t have to be that way. What should you do to build your confidence and increase your enjoyment of wine?
Keep It Simple
First, let’s talk about what you should not do. Don’t get in over your head. I made that mistake many years ago and paid the price by spending many subsequent years without the enjoyment of wine.
In my naïve desire to learn about wine I unwittingly chose to read a book that was not intended for beginners. I was like a curious, young science student, attempting to understand the physical world by reading a doctoral dissertation on quantum physics! It made me feel as if I could never sort it all out. I gave up in frustration.
If you’re like most people, you just want to be more confident when selecting a wine to have with dinner. If your interest grows beyond that, then you can begin to search for more in-depth learning experiences. For now, start slowly.
A great place to start is with sources of very basic, introductory information. There are two essential tools of your wine education: a beginner’s book on wine, and a thorough, concise wine reference book.
Your beginner’s book should be short and simple. If it’s more than 100 or so pages, keep looking. I saw a great example recently while at the grocery checkout. Just above the tabloid headline, “Madonna’s Alien Baby!” there was a great little book on wine basics.
On the other hand, your reference book needs to be extensive so that you can find virtually anything, and concise so that you don’t have to read long treatises about routine topics. The best example I have found is, The New Wine Lover’s Companion. In addition to its exhaustive encyclopedia, it includes pronunciations (an inexplicable rarity in wine literature), a serving temperature guide, and a valuable glossary of the mysterious terms used by the wine tasting subculture.
Give Your Palate a Regular Workout
The best way to learn about wine is to taste a lot of wine. There may be many opportunities to attend wine tastings in your area. Many wine stores offer free wine classes. Also, look for community education courses. Better yet, start your own wine tasting club.
Another great way to learn is to institute your own wine-of-the-week program. Make it a habit to visit your favorite wine store once a week to pick out a wine you’ve never had before.
Don’t let your meal plan dictate your wine purchase. Too many people focus their wine selections on the food they plan to prepare. Doing so limits your wine choices.
Try reversing the process. Select a wine you’ve never tried, read the back label, or ask your wine merchant for food suggestions and plan your meal around the wine. This method allows you to focus your attention on trying new wines, while expanding your food horizons.
Each Wine Can Be a Learning Experience
When you return home from the wine shop, head to the internet for a little fun detective work. Most wine producers have very informative websites. Just do a search on the name of the wine producer. It may help to include the word “wine” in your search. Many imported wines have good English language sites but, you may have better luck searching for the site of the importer listed on the label, instead of the producer.
Once you locate the website, click on the “Our Wines” button. Then, search until you find the wine you purchased. It’s best if you can find the exact vintage (year), but don’t worry if you can’t. Sometimes you may need to look in the “previous vintages” area.
The better wine sites will have fact sheets and tasting notes for each of the wines they produce. For the most part, you can skip the “Growing Season” and “Vintage” reports for now. They will add little to your appreciation and enjoyment of the wine.
However, pay close attention to the “Tasting Notes” and “Fact Sheet”. Here is where you can learn something about your wine and wines in general.
Read about how the wine was made, sometimes labeled, “Viniculture”, “Vinification”, or “Wine Makers Notes.” Grab your handy wine reference and look up any terms you don’t understand. Soon these terms will become common knowledge to you.
Read the tasting notes, which will tell you a lot about the aromas, tastes, and mouth feel to expect. When you smell and taste the wine try to detect the attributes listed in the tasting notes.
Don’t be surprised if you only detect one of the aromas or tastes among the many listed. It takes time to develop your senses of smell and taste. You will get better at it. As you do, your appreciation of each new wine will grow.
Follow these simple suggestions and you’ll be on your way to a lifetime of wine enjoyment.
