If you enjoy drinking wine but you feel like you don’t know enough about choosing the right wines for your taste, you’re not alone. Often, people stick to a single brand or type of wine because they find one that they like and are afraid to step out of their comfort zones. You can greatly improve upon your enjoyment of wine with a little experimentation and self-education. Here’s how to go from ‘beginner’ to ‘expert’ when it comes to wine.
Make an effort to learn the basics of wine tasting
Learning about the different types of wine, where they originate from, what types of grape they’re made from, and what their characteristics are is the first thing you should do to expand your knowledge. There are four basic taste ‘traits’ in every glass of wine. These traits are caused by the basic ingredients in the wine–sugars, water, acids, and polyphenols–and they affect how the wine tastes. If you can learn to identify these traits, you can learn to appreciate which ones suit your tastebuds better.
Change the way you drink your wine
This isn’t as hard as it sounds. It just means you need to learn how to actually taste every glass you drink. Look for opportunities to compare wines and identify the traits that you enjoy in each one. Don’t forget to make notes, especially if you are trying a new wine for the first time. With a little practice, you’ll be able to pick a wine you’ve never tried before and be fairly confident that you’ll enjoy it.
Learn about how different wines are served
People who are picky about wine aren’t just being wine snobs for the sake of it. Some wines degrade more quickly than others, others require certain circumstances in order for their full flavour to be experienced. It really is just the nature of wine. Some wines are a little more fragile than others and you need to know how to handle the product in order to fully enjoy it.
Look for opportunities to learn
Whether it’s reading a book about different types of wine or trying a new bottle with a friend and comparing notes, look for opportunities to expand your knowledge of wine. Fortunately, it’s one education that’s very fun and easy to obtain.
For more tips on learning about wine, visit the knowledgeable staff at Vin Bon today.
