When I did my first wine tasting, I drank all white wine and
then begrudgingly tried one red (which I did not like). In my wine travels, I’ve found I’m not
alone. Most wine drinkers start with
white and then work they way into red (usually via a light Pinot Noir). Now that the holidays and colder weather have
arrived, my table is primarily set with red wine again.
How do I “learn” to drink red wine? I’ve been asked that question
frequently. My biggest mistake was
picking wine that was too inexpensive early on.
I probably would have enjoyed Merlot much sooner in life had I not stuck
to $5 bottles from the bottom of the shelf in Kroger when I was in college.
There are some simple suggestions that will help. Start with a light red. Pinot Noir or Gamay, maybe a Grenache. Don’t jump straight into a heavy Cabernet
Sauvignon. You’ll overwhelm your taste
buds and your flavor sensors won’t know what to do.
Go to a real wine store; one with a staff that can answer questions
about the wine and help you find a bottle that will match your meal or your
flavor preferences. Don’t assume that
every wine shop is “too expensive” just because it isn’t a grocery store. My favorite local shop, with highly trained
staff and a lot of unique bottles of wine, starts pricing at $10. They have a bottle for every budget.
If you must keep the budget really low and hit up a regular
grocery store, take a look at my “Grocery Store Grabs” suggestions each
Wednesday on the Affordable Wine Snob’s Facebook page. I go through the everyday wines you’ll find
anywhere and help you to determine which are good and which are best left
alone. There are good grocery
store budget wines out there, but you have to dig through a lot of yuck to get
to them.
Most important, keep an open mind and try new things. If you don’t want to jump into a bottle of
something, get a glass at a restaurant.
Pay attention to what your flavor palate is telling you. What did you like about the glass? What didn’t you like? Be specific.
When you can define what you do like, it’s easier to determine what wine
adventure you want to take next.
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