Find your favorite Wine!
How many times have you found yourself staring bleary eyed at a wine shelf? Wine flavours are unique, but that does not mean that the flavours you enjoy in other beverages and foods do not affect what you think is good wine. For starters, wine drinkers want to stick to simple, complex wines that don't overwhelm the taste buds. Many wines are acquired flavors, so the uninitiated palate must begin with lighter wines to appreciate the various flavors in them before moving on.
Let’s start easy. One does not need any help to recognize white wine from red wine. White wine has aromas such as roasted spices, citrus fruits, fruits, apples, pears and many others. Everyone has different preferences and characteristics for the wine that is right for them, so be careful what you find in the bottle to satisfy your taste preferences.
Now we move to another basic distinction, Old World vs New World. Old World wines, from traditional regions such as France, Italy and Spain, taste light with high acidity and little fruit flavor. Wine from the New World, coming from countries such as the United States, South Africa and Chile, tend to have a stronger fruit flavours.
Depending on the variety, residual sugar in the harvested grapes, alcohol content and grape variety used, the winemakers produce wines with a wide range of sweetness. Red wines are made from crushed grapes fermented in oak barrels for one to two weeks, while white wines are usually made from the skins and seeds of white grapes, which are removed, mixed with yeast and matured in stainless steel tanks for fermentation. Wine tastes and ages differently, and different wines are best suited to different maturation periods.
In general, darker wines have a higher tannin content and a bolder taste. The law of chilled red wine says that if there is a good reason why you shouldn't, it's because of tannins. On the other hand, white and rosé (especially white rose) have a lower tannin content and taste better when chilled, so avoid them cold, otherwise you miss a lot of flavor. Tannins are present throughout the wine-making process and are added to aged wines for a bitter taste. The process of vinification contains more tannins, giving red wines a drier, bitter finish. A wine that is not balanced with any of these components: acidity, tannin, alcohol and fruit are the main events.
To develop a palate, continuously try new wines. Don’t drink the same wine every day. Find out what varieties you enjoy by drinking wines in the $15 - $25 range. Once you have some experience with what you like, you’ll have the ability to start tackling wine lists with confidence.
Ask a wine expert - The best way to learn about wine is to let them tell you what you like best. Food & Wine can be useful in finding your wine style, and illustrations can help you compare wines you like with wines that are similar in some ways and different in others.
In the beginning, you will want to stick to inexpensive wines, if what you buy is not right for you. If you are the kind of person who stares at endless wine shelves and chooses bottle after bottle with attractive labels, feel free to reach out to me.
