How to learn about wine?
Dec 28, 2017, 5:09 am
#16
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Serve 6 wines to someone not used to drinking wine?
Do not even think about doing this unless either you have a designated driver or a great homeowner's insurance policy.
Also, I question how much general information about wine can be learned this way. 6 random wines out of the thousands available? It might be more educational if you were to focus the choices, like 3 zinfandel followed by 3 Gewürztraminer, or 2 merlots, 2 cabs and 2 zinfandels. Hell, I've done winery tastings where we tried 6 Gewürztraminer, going from dry to way too sweet.
Learning about wine isn't done in a single evening, or even a 6 session course at the community college. Those can help you identify broad categories of wine you like, and really, "good wine" is what you like, not what Wine Spectator or NY Times says is good. I've had chardonnay that was $120/bottle and I hated it. I dislike chardonnay in general, but rarely dislike a zinfandel. What I like best is old vine zinfandels from Sonoma County. How did I get to the point where I can be so specific? A father who always let me have a sip from his glass, a couple courses with a master sommelier, and whole lot of weekends in the California wine country getting to know some of the winemakers.
Not everybody cares enough to delve so deeply into wine. For somebody who just wants to learn to enjoy a social glass, I'd suggest making a list of flavors you like, or dislike, and deciding on a price limit, and then finding a quality wine shop (which won't be in Pennsylvania!) and asking to talk to the wine buyer or other knowledgable staff. Tell them about what you like, dislike. Buy a couple bottles to try at home where you can relax and not be embarrassed if you hate it. Find out the suggested temperature at which to serve that particular wine, try it with food, maybe share it with friends.
Do not even think about doing this unless either you have a designated driver or a great homeowner's insurance policy.
Also, I question how much general information about wine can be learned this way. 6 random wines out of the thousands available? It might be more educational if you were to focus the choices, like 3 zinfandel followed by 3 Gewürztraminer, or 2 merlots, 2 cabs and 2 zinfandels. Hell, I've done winery tastings where we tried 6 Gewürztraminer, going from dry to way too sweet.
Learning about wine isn't done in a single evening, or even a 6 session course at the community college. Those can help you identify broad categories of wine you like, and really, "good wine" is what you like, not what Wine Spectator or NY Times says is good. I've had chardonnay that was $120/bottle and I hated it. I dislike chardonnay in general, but rarely dislike a zinfandel. What I like best is old vine zinfandels from Sonoma County. How did I get to the point where I can be so specific? A father who always let me have a sip from his glass, a couple courses with a master sommelier, and whole lot of weekends in the California wine country getting to know some of the winemakers.
Not everybody cares enough to delve so deeply into wine. For somebody who just wants to learn to enjoy a social glass, I'd suggest making a list of flavors you like, or dislike, and deciding on a price limit, and then finding a quality wine shop (which won't be in Pennsylvania!) and asking to talk to the wine buyer or other knowledgable staff. Tell them about what you like, dislike. Buy a couple bottles to try at home where you can relax and not be embarrassed if you hate it. Find out the suggested temperature at which to serve that particular wine, try it with food, maybe share it with friends.
He's in a position where while he enjoys a social glass that someone else has ordered, he'd like to speak knowledgeably to why, the flavors, etc.
He knows the very basics (white/red, sweet/dry, etc.) He wants to be knowledgeable about more of it. What flavors he should pay attention to, what makes it different from another, similar wine.
Dec 28, 2017, 6:41 am
#17
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Dec 28, 2017, 7:33 am
#18
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Best way to learn about wine is to drink it. It's not magic with weird incantations that must be said over the wine. Wine tastings are great learning experiences but wine will taste different with different foods (and will taste different with food than without). I like sauvignon blancs but not from certain regions. And I like merlots but not from some countries. Different people like different things but its easy to let yourself get intimidated. If you like it, drink it, even if it's Boone's Farm. Read a bit, list a winery, drink lots of wine.
Dec 28, 2017, 9:06 am
#19
Join Date: May 2005
Posts: 4,735
How big is a taste? What's his alcohol tolerance? What's his state's definition of Impaired driving?
My point is that it would be too easy for someone in that situation - trying 6 different wines, "Oh, just another sip to compare these two" - to end up in a situation where they should not be behind the wheel of a car. We used to do wine tasting long weekends with friends, and each day one person would abstain from drinking and be the driver, rotating turns. I know from experience that when wine tasting it's easier to imbibe more than intended.
What makes it different as in how the wines came to be different, or how to tell the difference between say, a 10 year old oak aged cabernet and a "cabernet blend" with a screw top? Visiting quality wineries will help answer the first, and experience drinking different wines will help with the second. Doing blind tastings can also be very informative, as trying a wine without knowing its origins or price point can help you establish what it is you like without being influenced by anything but taste.
In the end, the secret to enjoying wine is trusting your own palate enough to say "I like this one, this style, this variety" without regard to other people's opinions. I know someone who loves Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which I think is dreck, but it makes him happy, so that's a good wine in his world and my opinion doesn't matter.
My point is that it would be too easy for someone in that situation - trying 6 different wines, "Oh, just another sip to compare these two" - to end up in a situation where they should not be behind the wheel of a car. We used to do wine tasting long weekends with friends, and each day one person would abstain from drinking and be the driver, rotating turns. I know from experience that when wine tasting it's easier to imbibe more than intended.
In the end, the secret to enjoying wine is trusting your own palate enough to say "I like this one, this style, this variety" without regard to other people's opinions. I know someone who loves Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which I think is dreck, but it makes him happy, so that's a good wine in his world and my opinion doesn't matter.
Dec 28, 2017, 10:22 am
#20
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I agree with the "taste wine" replies. Visit vineyards and wineries and talk to the winemakers.
We also like to host blind tastings with a cheat sheet. Pour a couple of bottles each into a few large decanters and then create list of wines that includes the wines.
This was our list from a couple of weeks ago of which 3 of the wines were poured. One person out of about 40 got all 3 right.
2013 Sparkman Wilderness Red Blend (Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo, Petit Syrah)
It brings aromas of dried herb, earth and blue and black fruit that are followed by palate-coating blue-fruit flavors, speckled with barrel spices, showing vibrant acidity.
2015 Terrunyo Block 27 Carmenere
Dark, deep red in color, Terrunyo Carmenere has complex and elegant aromas of ripe red berries, plum, spice and a hint of tobacco. Powerful and concentrated fruit flavors reappear on the palate caressed in sweet tannins. Full in the mouth with great structure and a lingering finish.
2014 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark ruby purple core lightening to medium intensity at the rim with moderate staining on the glass. Aromatic black fruit of cherry and blackcurrant jam, baking spice, dried leaf and sweet tobacco. Full bodied with bright black cherry, blackcurrant and berry fruit with an underpinning of oak barrel accents on entry. The mid palate shows continued fruit with savory herbal notes, mint and a hint of violet. The finish is clean, long and layered with lingering dark fruit surrounded by soft chewy tannins balanced by crisp acidity and subtle floral notes.
2014 Hedges CMS Blend (Cab, Merlot, Syrah)
Aromas of cinnamon, sweet plum and earthy pomegranate with hints of dried tobacco leaf, vanilla and dark cocoa powder. On the palate are flavors of ripe raspberry, milk chocolate and dried sage. Bright entry, full juicy mid-palate and a graceful finish with apparent and pleasing tannins. A nicely balanced wine, with enough acid and tannin to make this a more serious, longer lived wine that will go well with full flavored food.
2012 Alexandria Nicole Jet Black Syrah
Whole berry fermentation leads the way for this deep and dense black in color Syrah. There’s an energy driving the wine, immediately apparent in the sultry aromas of blackberries, huckleberry, mocha, lavender, and espresso. The flavors are thick and saturated, coating the mouth with dark cherry, toffee, cedar and a delicate leathery spice. A very generous mid-palate with loads of texture yet it manages to stay fresh and elegant, with juicy acidity, very fine, silky and sleek tannins, and a brilliant finish that certainly doesn’t lack for length. Impressive now, but if drinking before 2015, please decant.
2014 K Vintners The Boy Grenache
Transparent and pure are the first words that come to mind when tasting this wine. Then onto spice, tobacco, black leather, and white pepper. A full palate that comes together to an elegant and ethereal finish.
2013 Bookwalter Foreshadow Merlot
Deep ruby red-black color, clear. Ripe rich fruit with showy inviting oak aromas. Ripe pure fruit flavors refreshingly clean. Longlasting fresh fruit and oak are framed by smooth tannins. Built for a wide menu, this wine drinks invitingly well now.
2012 Obelisco Estate Grown Malbec
Aged in equal parts French and American oak (43% new), this initially puts barrel tones in the lead. Notes of toasty spices, cocoa, toffee and coffee come out in front of blue and black fruit. The flavors are sweet but reserved in style, trailing toward the finish. There's a lot to enjoy but the oak seems a little overweighted for the fruit that's in the bottle.
2013 Cambria Pinot Noir
Concentrated raspberry fruit meets with earthy rhubarb, cranberry, beet, orange rind and thyme herbs on the nose of this new project from the Jackson family. Tighter pomegranate and raspberry fruit show on the palate, alongside graphite and woody herbs. It's a reliably down-the-middle and fresh wine.
2012 Eberle Zinfandel
Supple and jammy, with floral black raspberry aromas and savory flavors of cherry pie, cinnamon and licorice that linger on the spiced vanilla tannins.
2017 Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill
With hints of lip gloss and sharpies, this wine is everything that it is supposed to be and is as easy going down as it is coming back up.
2014 Bunnell Red Heaven Hills Syrah
Chocolate covered cherry, cedar, and dirty cranberry nose. Medium, high acidity, and complex body. Earthy black fruit front. Big vanilla middle with cherries, cigar tobacco, and currants. The finish is leather, smokey cigar, black cherry, and chocolate.
2009 Chateau Margaux Balthazar
A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings-. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine-s overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30-35+ years.
2015 Mark Ryan The Dissident Blend (Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc)
The nose offers notes of violets, black currant, and cedar. A mix of tart red and black fruits. The palate, red cherry, blackberry, and red plum. On the mid palate, cocoa and graphite linger into the finish. The tannins are elegantly balanced with the acidity.
We also like to host blind tastings with a cheat sheet. Pour a couple of bottles each into a few large decanters and then create list of wines that includes the wines.
This was our list from a couple of weeks ago of which 3 of the wines were poured. One person out of about 40 got all 3 right.
2013 Sparkman Wilderness Red Blend (Syrah, Grenache, Tempranillo, Petit Syrah)
It brings aromas of dried herb, earth and blue and black fruit that are followed by palate-coating blue-fruit flavors, speckled with barrel spices, showing vibrant acidity.
2015 Terrunyo Block 27 Carmenere
Dark, deep red in color, Terrunyo Carmenere has complex and elegant aromas of ripe red berries, plum, spice and a hint of tobacco. Powerful and concentrated fruit flavors reappear on the palate caressed in sweet tannins. Full in the mouth with great structure and a lingering finish.
2014 Justin Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark ruby purple core lightening to medium intensity at the rim with moderate staining on the glass. Aromatic black fruit of cherry and blackcurrant jam, baking spice, dried leaf and sweet tobacco. Full bodied with bright black cherry, blackcurrant and berry fruit with an underpinning of oak barrel accents on entry. The mid palate shows continued fruit with savory herbal notes, mint and a hint of violet. The finish is clean, long and layered with lingering dark fruit surrounded by soft chewy tannins balanced by crisp acidity and subtle floral notes.
2014 Hedges CMS Blend (Cab, Merlot, Syrah)
Aromas of cinnamon, sweet plum and earthy pomegranate with hints of dried tobacco leaf, vanilla and dark cocoa powder. On the palate are flavors of ripe raspberry, milk chocolate and dried sage. Bright entry, full juicy mid-palate and a graceful finish with apparent and pleasing tannins. A nicely balanced wine, with enough acid and tannin to make this a more serious, longer lived wine that will go well with full flavored food.
2012 Alexandria Nicole Jet Black Syrah
Whole berry fermentation leads the way for this deep and dense black in color Syrah. There’s an energy driving the wine, immediately apparent in the sultry aromas of blackberries, huckleberry, mocha, lavender, and espresso. The flavors are thick and saturated, coating the mouth with dark cherry, toffee, cedar and a delicate leathery spice. A very generous mid-palate with loads of texture yet it manages to stay fresh and elegant, with juicy acidity, very fine, silky and sleek tannins, and a brilliant finish that certainly doesn’t lack for length. Impressive now, but if drinking before 2015, please decant.
2014 K Vintners The Boy Grenache
Transparent and pure are the first words that come to mind when tasting this wine. Then onto spice, tobacco, black leather, and white pepper. A full palate that comes together to an elegant and ethereal finish.
2013 Bookwalter Foreshadow Merlot
Deep ruby red-black color, clear. Ripe rich fruit with showy inviting oak aromas. Ripe pure fruit flavors refreshingly clean. Longlasting fresh fruit and oak are framed by smooth tannins. Built for a wide menu, this wine drinks invitingly well now.
2012 Obelisco Estate Grown Malbec
Aged in equal parts French and American oak (43% new), this initially puts barrel tones in the lead. Notes of toasty spices, cocoa, toffee and coffee come out in front of blue and black fruit. The flavors are sweet but reserved in style, trailing toward the finish. There's a lot to enjoy but the oak seems a little overweighted for the fruit that's in the bottle.
2013 Cambria Pinot Noir
Concentrated raspberry fruit meets with earthy rhubarb, cranberry, beet, orange rind and thyme herbs on the nose of this new project from the Jackson family. Tighter pomegranate and raspberry fruit show on the palate, alongside graphite and woody herbs. It's a reliably down-the-middle and fresh wine.
2012 Eberle Zinfandel
Supple and jammy, with floral black raspberry aromas and savory flavors of cherry pie, cinnamon and licorice that linger on the spiced vanilla tannins.
2017 Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill
With hints of lip gloss and sharpies, this wine is everything that it is supposed to be and is as easy going down as it is coming back up.
2014 Bunnell Red Heaven Hills Syrah
Chocolate covered cherry, cedar, and dirty cranberry nose. Medium, high acidity, and complex body. Earthy black fruit front. Big vanilla middle with cherries, cigar tobacco, and currants. The finish is leather, smokey cigar, black cherry, and chocolate.
2009 Chateau Margaux Balthazar
A brilliant offering from the Mentzelopoulos family, once again their gifted manager, Paul Pontallier, has produced an uncommonly concentrated, powerful 2009 Chateau Margaux made from 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest primarily Merlot with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. As with most Medocs, the alcohol here is actually lower (a modest 13.3%) than most of its siblings-. Abundant blueberry, cassis and acacia flower as well as hints of charcoal and forest floor aromas that are almost Burgundian in their complexity are followed by a wine displaying sweet, well-integrated tannins as well as a certain ethereal lightness despite the wine-s overall size. Rich, round, generous and unusually approachable for such a young Margaux, this 2009 should drink well for 30-35+ years.
2015 Mark Ryan The Dissident Blend (Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc)
The nose offers notes of violets, black currant, and cedar. A mix of tart red and black fruits. The palate, red cherry, blackberry, and red plum. On the mid palate, cocoa and graphite linger into the finish. The tannins are elegantly balanced with the acidity.
Dec 28, 2017, 1:25 pm
#21
Join Date: May 2014
Location: HNL
Posts: 43
I must have burned out my taste buds eating spicy foods because I have never been able to taste other flavors other than grape. I've been drinking wine steadily for about 10 years and have yet to taste chocolate, vanilla, currants, etc. in a wine. Just grape. One day maybe, it's fun trying though!
Dec 28, 2017, 2:32 pm
#22
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I must have burned out my taste buds eating spicy foods because I have never been able to taste other flavors other than grape. I've been drinking wine steadily for about 10 years and have yet to taste chocolate, vanilla, currants, etc. in a wine. Just grape. One day maybe, it's fun trying though!
Dec 28, 2017, 3:57 pm
#23
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I was lucky enough to learn at university where I was president of the college wine society. The college would only buy for its (extensive) cellar from merchants who presented at the society so we got 8 fantastic tastings per term. The tastings were always themed - eg 8 different Chassagne-Montrachets of the same vintage, or 8 Alsace varietals, or a vertical of Ch Gruaud-Larose etc. - so that we really learned our wines very well indeed. But, of course, this only covered the great French wines with merely a nod towards Germany and Port, so my knowledge of Argentina, NZ, South Africa etc is purely self taught and full of holes.
But why do it at all? Really because it helps you understand what you like and how to find wines you can afford. The key is, in my view, the wine merchant - they will, once they know your palate, lead you towards delicious and affordable artisanal wines which supermarkets could never stock.
But why do it at all? Really because it helps you understand what you like and how to find wines you can afford. The key is, in my view, the wine merchant - they will, once they know your palate, lead you towards delicious and affordable artisanal wines which supermarkets could never stock.
Dec 28, 2017, 4:45 pm
#24
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: Either at the shooting range or anywhere good beer can be found...
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How big is a taste? What's his alcohol tolerance? What's his state's definition of Impaired driving?
My point is that it would be too easy for someone in that situation - trying 6 different wines, "Oh, just another sip to compare these two" - to end up in a situation where they should not be behind the wheel of a car. We used to do wine tasting long weekends with friends, and each day one person would abstain from drinking and be the driver, rotating turns. I know from experience that when wine tasting it's easier to imbibe more than intended.
What makes it different as in how the wines came to be different, or how to tell the difference between say, a 10 year old oak aged cabernet and a "cabernet blend" with a screw top? Visiting quality wineries will help answer the first, and experience drinking different wines will help with the second. Doing blind tastings can also be very informative, as trying a wine without knowing its origins or price point can help you establish what it is you like without being influenced by anything but taste.
In the end, the secret to enjoying wine is trusting your own palate enough to say "I like this one, this style, this variety" without regard to other people's opinions. I know someone who loves Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which I think is dreck, but it makes him happy, so that's a good wine in his world and my opinion doesn't matter.
My point is that it would be too easy for someone in that situation - trying 6 different wines, "Oh, just another sip to compare these two" - to end up in a situation where they should not be behind the wheel of a car. We used to do wine tasting long weekends with friends, and each day one person would abstain from drinking and be the driver, rotating turns. I know from experience that when wine tasting it's easier to imbibe more than intended.
What makes it different as in how the wines came to be different, or how to tell the difference between say, a 10 year old oak aged cabernet and a "cabernet blend" with a screw top? Visiting quality wineries will help answer the first, and experience drinking different wines will help with the second. Doing blind tastings can also be very informative, as trying a wine without knowing its origins or price point can help you establish what it is you like without being influenced by anything but taste.
In the end, the secret to enjoying wine is trusting your own palate enough to say "I like this one, this style, this variety" without regard to other people's opinions. I know someone who loves Sutter Home White Zinfandel, which I think is dreck, but it makes him happy, so that's a good wine in his world and my opinion doesn't matter.
Jan 10, 2018, 10:54 am
#25
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 1,684
Why are you doing this for your co-worker? On a side note, can you research how to detail my car every 3 weeks?
Jan 10, 2018, 11:59 am
#26
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Incidentally, I recently read Cork Dork based on the suggestion in this thread. Interesting read, though I found it a little overblown at times ("Dinner at this restaurant will set you back $400 and only the super rich can go there!")
Jan 10, 2018, 6:23 pm
#27
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Jan 12, 2018, 4:32 am
#29
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvWL6_A7uQc
This lady sums it up succinctly. You can try watching her other clips.
This lady sums it up succinctly. You can try watching her other clips.
Jan 14, 2018, 2:13 am
#30
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Hong Kong
Posts: 676
For someone starting out as a total beginner, I would suggest the book Wine Folly. Unlike most wine books, this is targeted towards beginners and is filled with very useful information like the different tastes that you can look for with a certain type of grape. To enjoy wine, I think one need some basic knowledge to get going. Another thing that I have found helpful is to join a class and be led through a tasting by an expert. Wine bars like Corkbuzz in NYC run classes regularly and you only have to do it once to get a feel for what serious wine geeks do when doing tasting.