CheapWineFinder’s Beginners Guide To Wine Part 1

Which Wines Do I Like? There Are So Many To Choose From!

New to wine? Where do you start? Which wines are the good wines? How do you find the wines that you will enjoy? Well it is a little complicated – say you had a Riesling at your Brother-in-Law’s that you really thought was good, but do you like all Rieslings? Rieslings come from Germany, France, South America, Washington, Oregon, California and Australia (and even more areas), and they taste different depending on where the grapes are grown. To make it more difficult there are sub-regions in each area that have their own take on the wine. The winemaker can make the Riesling in his own style, which adds different flavors than the vineyard next door. Plus, the price of the wine is a factor – more expensive wine tends to taste different than less expensive wine. Not always better, just different.

So you see, simply thinking that you might like Riesling isn’t enough, and I didn’t even mention that the same bottle of wine can vary in taste from year to year! So if you find one you like that was a 2006 vintage, it might not have the same oomph that got your attention in the 2007 vintage. The whole process is just as complicated for Pinot Gris, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc…

While the problem of finding the right wines may be complicated, the solution is rather easy – it’s drinking wine. You can read the wine magazines and learn about the wine makers and the growing regions, but you can read 100 magazines a still not know the important thing, and that is what does the wine taste like? You have to frequent wine tastings at your local wine shops. Throw wine parties – if you have a theme it can help with the learning curve – say the theme is everyone has to bring an under $15 bottle of red wine from Chile. If you have eight people over each bringing a different bottle, you will start to get a good feel for Chilean wine.

If you’re a beginner there is no need to go overboard with expensive wine, it’s better to start at the bottom and work your way up. Plus the cheaper the cost the more wine you can buy! What is a good price cut off? If you concentrate on wines that are under $10, you can find some really tasty wines but you do limit yourself. At under $10 you won’t find Pinot’s that taste like the real deal, you won’t find Napa wines, or Bordeaux wines. If you use under $20 as a limit you will get the whole wine spectrum. You generally can get better white wines priced under $10 than red wines, so if you’re a red wine lover be prepared to spend a bit more.

to be continued…..