I find this to be true every time I have some wine novices taste a really great wine. They are often startled at how good a well made wine can be compared to the stuff that they are used to drinking. By well made, I don't mean expensive either. There are some really great well made wines out there for much less than some of the industrial galloconstellationfosters plonk that crowds the aisles in supermarkets.

A really great column in the NYT yesterday illustrates a good point. Develop a relationship with a good small wine merchant in your neighborhood and learn to trust their guidance. They will always try and steer you in the right direction. Shops like these can be found all over the country, not just in New York and they all have regular tastings, giving you the opportunity to start tasting different wine in all price points from many parts of the world.

Be wary of the lazy retailer who simply sells a wine on press or scores, however. The pendulum is shifting and a new group of wine consumers is working their way up the ranks who eschew the normative critics and are developing their own palates.

http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/201...ys-wine-shops/