I grew up, a little, in the wine business. I think most people expect me to know more than I do about wine -- to have an encyclopedic knowledge of wineries, vintage years, soil types -- but I don't. I have a very practical knowledge of wine, mainly acquired from listening to my father. My brother goes to classes. I have been to one. There was a powerpoint presentation about French regions. Since then, I have focused my learning on thoughtful wine consumption. With that in mind, I hope to share my learning-on-the-job experiences with wine and many other things here.
This is the central piece of advice: drink what you like. Feel no shame about drinking what you like. I promise that the things that you like will be inconstant, but that’s not a bad thing. I will work on “what next” in future blog posts.
Where to Begin
Most of the really inexpensive wines in the grocery store or corner liquor store are sweet. You probably know this from sipping on some box wine in your youth, but this is true even of wines of reasonable quality. As you begin tasting wine, the key will be to begin with inexpensive but still drinkable wines.
Either red or white, inexpensive wines might contain 1-3% residual sugar, which may not seem like a lot, or even taste like a lot. But they make the wine more easy-drinking. For people who are new to wine, this will probably taste great.
There are many inexpensive wines that are perfectly drinkable and respectable to drink. Most common red wines will be something slightly akin to jam- some acidity, some sweetness, lots of fruit flavors -- only with the boozy depth and effects of wine.
A white wine probably has a slightly different crutch. Not just the sweetness of residual sugar, but also the buttery oakiness of a Chardonnay. This is achieved through generous exposure to French-style oak. This is popular, but it’s not for everyone.
There are many factors that can affect the flavor of wine, and we will talk about that soon.
If you are not sure where to begin with wine, either red or white, take $20 out of your wallet and go buy 3 bottles of the same kind of wine. Set yourself up with a little tasting: pour a glass of each of the three wines and grab a friend or spouse. Taste each of them together and talk about what you taste. Talk about whether you like it. Talk about why you like it, or don't like it. Maybe take a few notes with the key words describing what you like or don't like: "sweet"; "cherry"; "grassy"; "sour"; "vinegary".
If the wine is truly terrible ("vinegary"), throw it away. You won't be sad, because you only spent a few dollars. If not, you’ll have some information about what you like. This will give you a talking point or label-reading point or something to Google for your next venture to the store for an $8 bottle of wine. This is the beginning. Consider conducting other varietal tastings to expand your horizons. Americans generally like Chardonnay (buttery) & Zinfandel (jammy), but that doesn't mean you will. You might like Sauvignon Blanc (grassy, acidic) or Pinot Noir (earthy, smooth).
A final note. A sweet wine is not achieved by adding sugar to the finished wine product. To make a sweetish wine, winemakers halt fermentation befor the yeast has converted all the sugar to alcohol, leaving some of the grapes’ original sugar in the wine.
Of course I am biased for my family's wines, but I enjoy many others as well.- Marietta Old Vine Red (any vintage) is a great, inexpensive red wine. It's not a varietal designate, which is to say it's a blend of many varietals. It's gotten sweeter over the years, but it's still pretty nice. Usually $9 - $13.
- Chateau Ste. Michelle 2009 Dry Riesling is a fruity, drinkable, $9 bottle of wine. Widely available.
- The Meeker Vineyard, my family's winery, offers several wines in the $10 - $15 a bottle range, including white wines under the Pacific Wine Works label and a whole world of reds.
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