Wine 101

Learning About Wine

The world of wine is vast—no doubt about it. Reds, whites, sip, swirl, spit, drink, dump, buy, keep, chill…you name it, there is undoubtedly a lot to learn and remember. Wine drinkers come from all walks of life: real estate agents wanting to learn more about wine so they could better converse with potential vineyard property buyers. Doctors who already collect wine but who want to know more of what else is out there in the wine buying world. Young people who want to begin their wine appreciation journey. People who are afraid of wine or maybe intimidated by the whole wine world. In other words, all people, from all walks of life are interested in learning more about wine. Here are a few suggestions for your own wine 101 journey.

Drink What YOU Like

First rule of thumb—drink what you like. If you like white zinfandel, for example, that is okay. Many people start their wine learning by starting with white zin. Don’t let anyone tell you that you should or should not drink certain things. Everyone likes different things, if we all liked the same thing we’d all be drinking the same wine.

Most people start their wine 101 white, sweeter wines like Gewurtztraminer or Riesling and then move into lighter body reds such as Beaujolais or Merlot and then end up with the dryer, bigger styled reds like Syrah or Cabernet. But that is not the rule of thumb by any means, but it is the most common path.

Use Knowledge of Others

Second thing to keep in mind when you are purchasing wine is to consult your local wine merchant. You can be like everyone else and purchase a wine with an animal on the label (it’s true, wines with labels that have animals on them sell more than others). If you have a wine shop or a gourmet market with a wine department, take advantage of the staff there. Chances are they have tasted most of the wines on the shelf and can help make recommendations about what you are looking for. If you’re looking for a Sauvignon Blanc, they may recommend one that is very good—but maybe one you have never heard of. With help from people like that it can help you branch out beyond just what you know. It’s a good thing to expand your horizons and try things you’ve never seen or tasted before.

Classes and Programs

If you really want to start learning about wines, you can sign up for wine classes. If you live near a community college or even state college, check into some of their extended education programs about wine. You may be surprised—there are more and more wine programs being offered because of the popularity of wine.

If you live in a wine growing region, the colleges in the area may even have a whole wine education program or certificate or even degree. There are other avenues for education to take as well. If you are really serious about your wine knowledge and expanding that knowledge, you can look into the Guild of Master Sommeliers for their courses. There is also the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) that offers courses to become ultimately a Master of Wine. These are serious programs.

If you are looking for something a little more casual, try getting some books on wine that you can read through. There are a plethora of books out there and so many that it really boils down to going to the store and perusing through a few that seem to be up your alley. Try to avoid the large thick books that are detail-oriented—to start with. For the beginner wine enthusiast try books that talk about all aspects of wine aimed at the beginning wine fan.

Tasting Groups

The fun thing about wine exploration is to take the journey with others. If you are interested in wine and you have friends that are also interested in wine, why not get together and form a tasting group? You can make it a bi-monthly or monthly thing where everyone gets together and brings a bottle of wine. his is a perfect way to learn more about wine.

Starting a Wine 101 Group

First of all, with everyone bringing a bottle to share, you have the opportunity taste many different wines for the cost of one bottle. That’s a big bonus—the fastest way to learn more about wine is to try many different types. What a wine tasting group also can provide is themes. For example, perhaps you want to do a dinner where the wines have to be $10 and under…or perhaps a red from a certain area of Napa Valley. The options are endless. You can even start getting the dinner themed to match the wines being brought! You can really make this a fun experience.

Fun Along the Way

However you want to start your wine 101 journey, there are many options for you depending how far you want to go. Use resources available to you—classes, books, advice of your wine merchant, and opportunities to learn with your friends. Most importantly, enjoy yourself. The world of wine has much to offer for everyone. Cheers!