Because another wine food and travel blog was way too long.
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Learning to TasteEveryone knows how to taste, right? It is one of the five senses that we are born with, so it stands to reason that there is not much to be learned. While it is true that tasting is something that we do naturally, it is also true that it is something that we can learn to do better.
Reading and studying are a good way to start. There are many great books written about wine, but there are a few that really stand out as fantastic resources for increasing knowledge regardless of the reader’s level. One book that would have to be any list of books to learn about wine from would be Windows on the World Complete Wine Course: 2008. This book has so much essential information and wonderful illustrations that if you only can have one wine book in your library, this should be it. Wine: An Introduction Knowing the wine regions of the world is quite important to enjoying wine, not to mention discussing and purchasing it. I don’t believe that there is any better reference book covering the subject than The World Atlas of Wine. The photos alone are worth the price, but the maps, labels and insight make this a must have. Yeah, I know, you are reading this and thinking, “Yo Foolio, readin’ ain’t tasting!” Right you are. Reading will give you a nice basis for tasting but the real knowledge is in the glass. The appearance, aromas, and flavors can be described on the page, but can only truly be experienced drinking wine. Isn’t education a wonderful thing? As you experience more wines it will become easier to distinguish not just the characteristics of the various grapes, but also the individual aromas and flavors that make up the wine. This is true of both single varietals as well as blends, however I do recommend trying single varietals when the chance presents itself. They allow you to get a sense of the grape, its personality, without being tempered in any way the characteristics of another grape. Blending is done many times, not just to enhance a wine, but often to smooth out rough edges or strong flavors of a grape. Making tasting notes is a great way to enhance your ability to discern flavors and aromas. Even if you never refer back to them, just the act of taking the notes forced you to concentrate on, and pick out all of the notes that you can. Writing them down helps commit them to memory. One of my favorite ways to gain more knowledge is to attend wine tastings. While some can get quite pricey, many others are unbelievably reasonable. I have tasted fantastic wines at tastings for as low $10, $5 and even for free. Try and get on as many distribution lists that are wine related, including local shop mailing, and you will find all sorts of tasting opportunities. While some might argue that all of this is too much work just to enjoy a glass of wine, I couldn’t disagree more. First of all, if you find drinking wine to be work, then you must have one hell of a great job. Secondly, without a little education it is impossible to fully enjoy or appreciate wine. Considering how much wine can cost, I prefer to get every bit of enjoyment out of every drop that I can. Coming soon: A review of a very nice tasting a friend put on last night. For now, I am off to study. Trackbacks: Trackback URL View Comments Please subscribe to our feed! Ponzi Vineyards 2007 Arneis
Arneis is a grape that I was completely unfamiliar with until this single varietal from the Willamette Valley showed up on my doorstop courtesy of one of my favorite wine clubs. Trackbacks: Trackback URL View Comments Please subscribe to our feed! Random Thought
Don’t you hate when the wine you are drinking really opens up when you are drinking the last glass of the bottle, leaving you to ponder how much better each glass could have been? Trackbacks: Trackback URL View Comments Please subscribe to our feed! Green Beans with Bacon and Onions
This is one of the easiest sides to make, but always seems to impress. Not only does it work especially well as an accompaniment for BBQ and grilled food, which comes in handy this time of year, but it also works well with a variety of wines and beers. Trackbacks: Trackback URL View Comments Please subscribe to our feed! Séguret Côtes du Rhône Villages 2001
For my money, Côtes du Rhône wines are some of the best values going. The better ones can deliver almost everything their much more expensive cousins do. The problem is that there are quite a few that do not deliver much of anything. The trick is in finding the really good ones. While I [...] Trackbacks: Trackback URL View Comments Please subscribe to our feed! |


While wine can certainly be enjoyed without honing the ability to taste, enjoyment does increase with education and practice. So, how does one learn to taste, particularly wine?





