Wine is not for everybody. Some people simply don’t like it or would prefer to drink beer or cocktails over wine at any time. The thing is, sometimes people that think they don’t like wine probably would if they knew more about it.
There are so many different kinds of wine from rose to red that there is surely a type of wine out there that will get you excited. It simply takes being exposed to certain wines after you’ve figured out what you’re looking for.
In this article, we will go over how you can learn more about wines so you can find the types you like and get more out of the wine-drinking experience.
Go to a tasting
As a way to drum up interest and sales, many wine shops run tastings. These are events that they will do regularly that showcase some of the wines they have for sale. Not only is this a great opportunity to try specific wines and find ones that you like, but it also opens the door to help you discover new wines yourself going forward.
One of the ways that it works is that these events will have a central theme. For instance, they might select wines from a major wine-growing area like California or Italy. Or, to educate people about lesser-known wine areas like Morocco and Dune Wines.
When you go to a few of these tastings you may start to see some patterns. You could begin to understand that your preferred wines seem to be coming from the same area. Maybe Italian wines are your things since you seem to enjoy the style that Italian wines exhibit. Or, you could find that a certain varietal hits all the notes you go for.
Then, you can start seeking out those wines on your own and doing some experimenting.
Food pairings
Wine is meant to be enjoyed with food. Since the flavor compounds react with other flavors and scents, when you drink wine while you are eating certain foods, it changes completely. A wine that may not have seemed at all memorable when you drank it on its own suddenly is a revelation when you pair it with some cheese or a pasta dish.
Once you have found some certain wines that you like, dig in a little bit on the research and look for the types of food that will go well with it, and find a new way to enjoy it.
Take notes
Whether you’re at a wine tasting or just sitting at your kitchen table trying some wine, have a notepad ready to write some things down. Tasting notes will not only help you remember the wines that you had and their qualities. But it will help you zero in on the wines that you like.
Your notes should include what the varietal was, the year, and the area it was grown for starters. Then, have the actual tasting notes so you can identify if the wine was fruity, tannic, full or light-bodied and other flavors you picked up while drinking.
Over time, you can review these notes to see which patterns you are seeing about your preferences so you know where to focus when buying wine.