Choosing wine is the focus of this part of our wine 101 guide...
Choosing wine can be a confusing task given the amount of options available. So, how does someone just getting started in wine know which to choose? The first step, as in all purchases, is to know what you like. Buying the best Pinot Gris available isn't an ideal purchase if what you really like is Chenin Blanc. Therefore, you should taste each of the different types of wine (Nebbiolos, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, etc.) to decide which you like and which you don't.
Having decided on the general type of wine you prefer, you'll need to look into which wines within that specific type are most agreeable to you. Pay a visit to your local wine merchant and ask to be shown the section containing the variety of wine that you decided upon. Look for the blurbs on the wine racks and read through them. Pay attention to the wine shops handwritten notes more so than any "winery notes" provided by the wine producer (as these tend to be no more than marketing material).
Ask an employee of the store to assist you if there's one available. Explain what kinds of wines you've tried in the past, and then what you're looking for. You can be relatively specific about flavors and tastes that you like or dislike. The more you tell them the better their wine recommendations for you will be. They may even offer tastings to let you sample various wines to determine what your favorite is.
Any recommendations that you dont buy, or any other wines that take your interest but you dont end up buying on the day, note down the details from their labels. Doing so lets you try them out at a restaurant or conduct further research on them on the internet.
Lastly, remember that the enjoyment of wine has nothing to do with what "the perfect wine" is. It has everything to do with what pleases you. No shop owner or wine reviewer will have the exact same taste in wine as you. Just because the experts say a particular wine is great, doesnt necessarily mean that you'll like it. Similarly, you may likes wines that no-one else seems to like.
Tags: choosing wine, wine