Best way to learn more about wine in general?

[Dan_R]

I am very interested in the process of wine making and plan on trying my hand at it soon, but would like to increase my overall knowledge of wine in general. I have read quite a few of wine 101 type articles but I am looking for some "guidelines" of breaking down and learning about what I am drinking.

I enjoy drinking both red and white wine but honestly have no idea about what I enjoy or what makes up the specific tastes. Essentially, if you were to ask what I enjoyed about a certain wine all I would have to say is that is tastes good

My end goal is to be able to "decipher" a taste and try to replicate or tweak it in my own blend. Sounds simple enough right

So from newbie to enthusiast, what would you recommend I do to increase my wine knowledge/tasting abilities. Any bottle recommendations, techniques, etc....pretty much starting from day 1.

Thanks in advance and looking forward to learning a bunch from everyone!

-Dan

 

[tonyandkory]

practice practice practice... jump in make some wine and become a fly on this wall. Great place to get second hand knowledge.

 

[Rocky]

Dan, first of all, welcome to the forum. Glad to have you on board and with a little digging, you will be able to find just about all you would want to know right here.

You ask a very interesting question but it is one that only you can answer. I can only relate what I like about wine, what kinds of wine I like and how I approach aligning my "likes" with my "makes." My wife and I have a mixed marriage: she likes white wine and I like red (although I think I am winning her over to the red side). I suppose a flippant way of putting it is, I only like to drink when I am alone or with someone, but there is a grain of truth in this statement. I enjoy wine in basically three settings: as an accompanyment to a meal, with friends in a social setting and alone while relaxing.

With food, most people choose their food and then select a wine to accompany it. I do it the other way areound. I like big, rich, Italian red wines so I make food that goes with those wines, e.g. pasta dishes with meat sauces, roasted meats and wild fowl, grilled meats and rich cheeses. I make wines like Rosso Fortissimo, Super Tuscan, Barolo, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and a family recipe which is 75% Zinfandel and 25% Muscat.

With friends in a social setting, I like a light and fruity wine that is complemented by well by antipasto salad, light cheeses, ham with good Italian garlic bread or bruschetta and good crackers. The idea here is to "get happy" (not crap faced) and enjoy the company. For this setting I like wines like Pinot Noir, Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc so I make them also (or maybe it is to keep the boss happy!).

When I am relaxing (as I am right now and I am drinking some Amarone), I am liable to drink "whatever is at hand." The idea here is to have a nice tasting drink that does not require food. For this type of situation, I have made Valpolicella, Amarone and Semillon/Chardonnay.

So in your case, you have to ask how and when you enjoy wine and what kind of wines you like. Try a couple bottles in the $10-15 range to zero-in on what you like and then do as Tonyandkory suggested...jump in! You will find that wine making is very forgiving and if you follow some basic rules, you would really have to try to mess it up. Best of luck to you.

 

[Tom_S]

Essentially, if you were to ask what I enjoyed about a certain wine all I would have to say is that is tastes good

That's good enough for me. I say buy a few different types of wine, or better yet, go to a winery for a wine tasting and see what different kinds of wine you like. I didn't really know squat about wine when I started making it other than you drink white wine with fish or fowl, and red wine with beef. But now after having tried numerous different types of wine I know what I like and I know what I like to make.

 

[ShelleyDickison]

Before I started making wine, and I have only been making since July this year, all my husband and I drank was Riesling and Chardonnay. We started to go to wine tasting at the local brew store and soon realized there are many other kinds worth drinking and making. It's pretty much opened a new world for us. While we prefer whites we have found some reds, mostly fruit reds, that we really like. I am still leery about making one but I think it will come in time. I would have never had the courage to branch out of my comfort zone had it not been for this forum. Everyone here is absolutely the best and their combined knowledge is spectacular, even with the dumb questions I sometime think of. Trust me, you can't go wrong here. Enjoy the process of it.

 

[Runningwolf]

Dan I agree with everyone above, and welcome to the forum by the way.

Keep in mind everyone has there own style of learning they do best with. I think most folks on here read a lot of books absorbing as much as they can through text books.

Speaking for myself and Wade we both hate to read books and do better by being shown or by asking lots of questions. I can honestly say I learned everything I know before going professional right here. Wade, Tom and Rich were awesome mentors way back then. If any of them misled me or anyone else on a kit, cpfan would quickly step in and correct them as he does now and I have a lot of respect for Steve (cpfan) and his knowledge. Over the years the knowledge base of this forum has grown immensely.

Chose your on way to learn and feel free to ask lots of questions on the forum.

 

[joea132]

I highly recommend going to wineries and tasting their wines. The descriptions give you a basis to learn what the taste is and you will inherently pick up on how each varietal differs. Some wine bars even offer classes and events that help you learn a little. A stop at a well stocked wine bar with knowledgeable staff always helps too!

 

[Gr8zins]

I would suggest reading up on wine in Wine Spectatoror Wine Enthusiast. There are a few good books that feature wines from all over the world..They talk about varietals, what to expect in style, terroir, average prices, ratings, etc. Wine for Dummies is good and. Oz Clark's Essentials of wine is excellent. lots of good photography in that one. The best way is to get together with some like minded friends and do some tasting...and have some dialogue about what everyone's impressions are. That can turn into a lotta fun!

 

[ldmack3]

Dan:
When you are ready to start making your own I recommend you go to finevinewines.com On the LH side click the Wine Making Videos lin. They have a series of videos that will help tremendously with the mechancis when using a kit.

Good luck, have fun.