Wine Tasting Tips for Beginners
Advice from Jill Stacey of WineStyles
What advice can you give someone who's just starting out and doesn't know what kind of wine she likes?
Sampling is the best way for someone new to try wine. Many stores offer weekly samplings. Not all are free but even if you have to pay $5-$10 it's still better than buying 2-3 bottles of wine to sample and then not liking them. Drop in to a wine tasting and try not to feel uncomfortable. Remember, everyone had to start somewhere.
Wine Tasting Tips
Getting Ready
Before you arrive at a wine tasting, make sure you have eaten a small amount and finished with a few crackers to "clear" your palate for the wine flavors; and; if you can bring a note pad to make notes.
Number of Wines
When you go to a public wine tasting most stores will have 4-6 bottles of wine open, and usually only pour 1 ounce of each for each person. Really, 4-6 bottles are just perfect to taste with; any more and the flavors just start to blend and it gets confusing. Start with whites because reds can be heavier on the palate.
Three Sip Test
Receive your glass and swirl the wine in the glass, this will release more of the aroma of the wine. Go ahead and take a sniff or two. What aromas do you find? This is the first indication if you think you will like the wine. I recommend to all my tasting customers to give a wine the Three Sip Test. Don't just sip one time and say I don't like it; you will get more flavors once your mouth has had a moment to adjust. If you really don't like it don't finish the glass. Use the customary "dump bucket" and move on to the next wine. It's best if you have a cracker between so you can again prep your taste buds for the next flavors.
Private Tastings
If you feel you just aren't up for the public tastings then invite a few friends that are interested in wines over to your house. Have everyone bring a different bottle. This is a great relaxing way to try wines without spending a fortune.
Wine Selection
I would recommend beginning with a lighter crisp style like Pinot Grigio, Riesling or Sauvignon Blanc. These are light bodied "thirst quenching" wines. They tend to appeal to new wine drinkers because they do not have the "dry" full bodied effect you can find with some wines. If they want to try reds go with the lighter style Pinot Noirs, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. It can be difficult to tell which wines are light bodied when all the Shiraz or Cabernets are all grouped together.
WineStyles
That is why at WineStyles we group the wines by "style" not by varietals or region they are grown in. A few wines we carry that I could recommend are: Whites: Graff QBA Riesling, Villa Venti Pinot Grigio, Bridgeview Blue Moon Riesling, Les Viognettes Sauvignon Blanc, Joel Gott Sauvignon Blanc. For the Lighter Style reds I would recommend: Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon, Castle Rock Pinot Noir, Buckleys Shiraz, Peachy Canyon Incredibly Red Zinfandel, or Les Viognettes Syrah. All are priced under $14! Good quality for a good price.
Cheers!
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