Whine, whine, whine!
Ok, I've gotten a ton of requests to do a wine column, but I haven't felt that motivated to do one, mainly because wine is my day to day gig and this blog is about food. But I was thinking last night that maybe I should talk a little about it. I mean, I might be able to demystify things a bit, make things easier to understand. People get all worked up about a beverage. Let me give my two cents...
Suggestion #1: Drink what you like. Ask yourself, does this taste good? The answer should be yes, or you probably shouldn't be drinking it. Taste is 'subjective', but folks always try to make it 'objective', especially when it comes to wine. There is no right or wrong answer. If you like Brussel sprouts, great. If you don't, no worries.
Suggestion #2: If you regularly buy wine or want to regularly buy wine, find a good retailer. And by good retailer, I mean an actual person who can answer your questions. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations. Let them know your budget and what you've had in the past that you liked or disliked. Approach their ideas with an open mind. The wine you thought you hated might just have been a bad bottle. Don't write anything off until you are sure. A good way to scout a retailer is to give them your evening menu and have them pair a wine or two that matches the food. If they do a good job, try them again. This is true for restaurants too. Don't be intimidated to ask for a wine recommendation. They should know what pairs well and look forward to giving great service.
Suggestion #3: Wine ratings can be an arbitrary number, so take them with a grain of salt. I've had plenty of low rated wines that I thought were just great. The rating is relevant only if you share a similar palate to the person rating the wine. It's easy to get lost in a mirage of flowery adjectives. I've often said wine ratings are like movie ratings. Think of the big Hollywood blockbusters that sweep the Oscars, break box office records, and receive a ton of press. Those who are paid to know movies would rate these high, but you can still dislike it regardless. 'Titanic' comes to mind. I thought it was painful to watch, yet it got a ton of praise. A movie like 'Caddyshack', which I've seen more than 200 times and will probably watch another 200 times before the curtain falls, got no real praise, no awards, but to me it's a great movie. It's all personal preference.
Suggestion #4: If you have the desire to learn more about wine... taste, read, and taste some more. Nearly every city has a wine tasting or two happening somewhere most every day of the week. Go check them out. Many are free or cost just a few bucks. Try a bunch of new things and find out not only what you like, but why you like it. There are a ton of books on wine that can tell you more than you may ever want to know. Ask your new friend Retailer which ones they find helpful. The important thing is that you are enjoying yourself.
Those are my thoughts at the moment. Take 'em or leave 'em, it's just grape juice gone bad. (or in my case, gone good!)
Ciao,
Penn
Suggestion #1: Drink what you like. Ask yourself, does this taste good? The answer should be yes, or you probably shouldn't be drinking it. Taste is 'subjective', but folks always try to make it 'objective', especially when it comes to wine. There is no right or wrong answer. If you like Brussel sprouts, great. If you don't, no worries.
Suggestion #2: If you regularly buy wine or want to regularly buy wine, find a good retailer. And by good retailer, I mean an actual person who can answer your questions. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations. Let them know your budget and what you've had in the past that you liked or disliked. Approach their ideas with an open mind. The wine you thought you hated might just have been a bad bottle. Don't write anything off until you are sure. A good way to scout a retailer is to give them your evening menu and have them pair a wine or two that matches the food. If they do a good job, try them again. This is true for restaurants too. Don't be intimidated to ask for a wine recommendation. They should know what pairs well and look forward to giving great service.
Suggestion #3: Wine ratings can be an arbitrary number, so take them with a grain of salt. I've had plenty of low rated wines that I thought were just great. The rating is relevant only if you share a similar palate to the person rating the wine. It's easy to get lost in a mirage of flowery adjectives. I've often said wine ratings are like movie ratings. Think of the big Hollywood blockbusters that sweep the Oscars, break box office records, and receive a ton of press. Those who are paid to know movies would rate these high, but you can still dislike it regardless. 'Titanic' comes to mind. I thought it was painful to watch, yet it got a ton of praise. A movie like 'Caddyshack', which I've seen more than 200 times and will probably watch another 200 times before the curtain falls, got no real praise, no awards, but to me it's a great movie. It's all personal preference.
Suggestion #4: If you have the desire to learn more about wine... taste, read, and taste some more. Nearly every city has a wine tasting or two happening somewhere most every day of the week. Go check them out. Many are free or cost just a few bucks. Try a bunch of new things and find out not only what you like, but why you like it. There are a ton of books on wine that can tell you more than you may ever want to know. Ask your new friend Retailer which ones they find helpful. The important thing is that you are enjoying yourself.
Those are my thoughts at the moment. Take 'em or leave 'em, it's just grape juice gone bad. (or in my case, gone good!)
Ciao,
Penn
really? people wanted a wine column and then didn't comment on this? guess we all just like hearing a wino rant about food. Oh wait, ... is "wino" a derogatory term? sorry, what is your professional handle?
ReplyDeleteMost people just call me a "wine tool".
ReplyDelete