This might be a little different introduction to wine than you are expecting. Most of our wine experience and education has been self-taught with the exception of many educational (and not so educational) wine tastings along the way.
One of the best things I ever did was taking the “Mastering Wine” course at the Culinary Institute in Napa Valley, California. It spoke to the various tastes within each wine varietal, how to really taste wine, how grapes are grown and why the soil makes a difference. It also provided some wonderful private wine tastings at family owned wineries, and taught me what a wine education could do for me. I wish had known what a passion it would become for me when I was younger, or that I had acted on it sooner.
We believe that wine can be enjoyed no matter what the situation. When paired with the right food, it adds immeasurably to the enjoyment of the meal. When it isn’t paired right, it can distract from a meal to the point where the food doesn’t taste the way it is expected or vice versa. When just drinking a glass of wine without food there are no rules anymore, it is simply a matter of what you prefer.
Whatever you do, don’t let someone talk you in to something you don’t want when you ask for a glass of wine. Also, don’t hesitate to let the sommelier or the wait staff know if the wine doesn’t taste the way it should or the way you expected. I can tell you that once, we were in a fine Italian restaurant in New York and one of the pairings included a wine that I thought tasted like dirt. As it turned out, they considered it “earthy”, to match with a big, earthy pasta, but I just tasted dirt. They replaced it with another bold Italian red wine that I liked better. Later, they said many other diners said the same thing. Don’t let them intimidate you!
In a good restaurant, they will give you a sip if you don’t know the particular wine (only if it is sold by the glass, not a bottle) so ask for it. Of course, when they open a bottle, someone (you or someone else in your group or significant other) will have to taste it before they pour. Do taste it because if it tastes off, it could be corked (as long as the bottle has a cork). While we haven’t had it happen often, it did happen more than once. In one restaurant, two bottles (of the same wine) were corked. That was quite odd but it occasionally can happen.
In our wine columns, we will select the wines we enjoy and pass the information on to you. Please remember, we (even Mike and I) may agree or disagree over how much we like a wine. It is so very personal. We may even pick wines and write about ones we aren’t crazy about but want to learn more about. We aren’t sommeliers but we have been to many small boutique wineries all over the world, and had the joy of speaking with wine makers around their kitchen table or in their dining rooms, and sometimes, in their barn. We loved spending time learning from experts. Take the time to soak up information, learn, and enjoy.
