Start Liking Wine

In the spirit of yesterday’s post, I’ve decided to further aid my roommate in his quest to begin liking wine by giving some actual recommendations for him to try out as he learns to like wine.  Yesterday, I worked on the mental aspect for him and wine, today is the physical aspect, so here it goes.

If someone is just beginning to explore wine and hasn’t quite developed a taste for it yet, I would recommend that they start by drinking white wine.  I think that overall, it is a bit more user friendly than red is.  And, when you first start drinking wine, you aren’t necessary looking for the best, you are looking for something that will act as a stepping stone- something that you can enjoy and that will enhance your appreciation of the next bottle that you drink. 

Starting with a Chardonnay would probably be the easiest thing to do.  I make this suggestion for 2 reasons- 1 because there is a ton of Chardonnay available at every store and restaurant, and 2 because it is easy to drink and, when made even half way decently, it tastes pretty good.  Try a Barefoot Chardonnay.  It is cheap, fruity, and not over oaked, meaning that it should be smooth and friendly.  When buying wine, remember that it isn’t necessarily about how much you spend but whether or not you like the wine.  Aka, ignore the stigma that comes with price tags (especially when the price is on the low side) low prices don’t always mean bad wine and high prices don’t guarantee good wines.

After the Chardonnay, I would move onto a Riesling.  Chateau Ste. Michelle makes a good one and, again it is cheap.  The move from Chardonnay to Riesling will show drinkers the variety that different varietals can offer.  The Riesling will be lighter, and will be more acidic (stinging the tongue a bit), but it will also be fruitier.  You will taste citrus fruits (acid), melons, pears, and any number of other fruits.  It is a great wine to drink cold on a warm day.

Now is when we move onto the red wines.  I’m going to suggest that new drinkers start with a Pinot Noir.  I pick the Pinot Noir because they are light, fruity, but also have the earthy tones that you can find in some other types of red wine, making it a good introduction to the heavier wines.  For this varietal, the recommendation is La Crema Pinot Noir from Sonoma.  This is a middle class Pinot that will be a bit more expensive than the whites, but one that is a good “gateway” wine for people moving down the path into wine appreciation.

After the Pinot, we move onto Chianti, my favorite.  Again, this is a softer, medium red that is easier to drink than some of the big, spicy, heavy varietals out there.  For my money, Da Vinci makes one of the best Chiantis out there (widely distributed in the US that is).  Chianti is a fun wine.  It has a bit of everything that a red wine should- fruit, spice, earth, drinkability, etc.  Hopefully by this point, you are beginning to realize the differences in types of flavors a wine has, even if you can’t specify them individually.

Last on this list is a Cabernet Sauvignon- the most popular red wine in the United States.  This heavy red will have dark fruit flavors and will also occasionally taste like the soil in which the grapes were grown, leather, tobacco, pepper, and other spices.  For this one, try a Merryvale Starmont.  It is a good wine, straightforward and will give you a great example of a good Cabernet, and will hopefully open your eyes to all that wine has to offer.

Now, with all the wine that I’ve recommended, I would suggest that you have it with food.  Wine is better with food, especially when you are just beginning to appreciate it.  Pairing wine with food can be a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be.  As a general rule, just pair the color of the wine to the color of the food.  Dark meat, red wine.  Light meat, white wine.  This works pretty well and will usually give you a decent pairing.

Happy drinking!  Hope you enjoy the suggestions and hopefully it helps people out as they try to appreciate wine.