Not every bottle of wine is the same, of course. Each unique flavor profile is what gives a wine its personality. It’s important you have a good wine knowledge before you take your next sip, so keep reading to learn all you can from the great expert advice listed below.
Attend all the wine tastings you can. Wine tastings are events that allow you to try out different types of wines for a lower cost. You can also use the opportunity to socialize. Have your wine loving friends come along. Your friendships will get stronger, and you’ll enjoy your newest hobby, to boot.
If you are having red meats, stick to red wine. This is the general principle, and should rarely be veered away from. Red wine helps to bring out the flavor in the steak or meat that you choose and vice versa, giving you the best possible experience while you are eating lunch or dinner.
Purchase the Magnum bottles in the store, which are a bit larger, giving you the best bang for your buck. These wines will generally run for about 10 or 15 dollars, and will last a little bit longer for the price. This is a great way to maximize your monetary value of wine if you drink often.
You can make amazing pairings with your favorite wine. For example, you can pair a Chardonnay with either Gouda or Provolone. For stronger cheeses, such as Cheddar, opt for a Cabernet such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc. Zinfandel wines go beautifully with the more delicate cheeses such as Feta and Gouda.
Always pursue variety in your wine buying. The best method of learning all about different wines is experimenting. Read the shelf cards, try a wine from a different country or ask for a recommendation from the shop owner. You may be surprised to discover a new favorite.
A great tip if you love wine is to look into joining an online message board that caters to fellow wine lovers. There are message boards for literally all kinds of communities. This is great because you’ll be able to connect with people that share the same interests, and you’ll learn a lot.
If you have a lot of wine in your cellar, you may want to invest in an inventory management system. This will track the types of wine that you have in your cellar and how old they are at a given time. Compartmentalizing wine into a database can make your storage capabilities very efficient.
Having a sniff at the cork from the wine bottle is not the best way to determine whether or not your wine is spoiled. While this may work in some cases, there are times when a cork smells musty and the wine is perfectly fine. Tasting it is the only way to know for sure.
Ask questions and start discussions about wine amongst your friends. You will be surprised by how many things your friends know about wine that you were not aware of. This can help you to not only build your information base with wine but to try new brands and types of wine as well.
Have an idea of how much you want to spend on your wine in mind before you enter the store. A wine store can be a very confusing space with lots of shelves filled with various varieties. By having a price point in mind before you shop, you can narrow down what you are looking for and walk out of the store without spending too much.
The body of a wine is a great way to pair it with a dish. The “body” of a wine refers to how substantial the wine is. It often also correlates with the alcohol content, with fuller-bodied wine containing more alcohol than a lighter wine. Heavier dishes should be paired with a full-bodied wine, as a lighter wine runs the risk of tasting watery when paired with something like a hearty steak.
You should introduce yourself to the servers in the restaurants you go to and to the clerks in the nearby stores. When you know these people, you can get yourself discounts or advance notices for great sales you otherwise wouldn’t have known about.
If you are trying a lot of wines trying to decide which ones are the best for you, make sure to write down all of the ones you like and don’t like. There are online services that help you find similar wines to ones you like, so you can use them to find more wines. You can also use these sites to avoid wines that are similar to the ones you didn’t care for.
If you are buying wine for a large party and are not sure what to buy, let statistics be your guide. Approximately, seventy-five percent of people are known to prefer red wines. While it is always a good idea to have white wines on hand, having primarily red wines is a good idea unless you know your guests prefer otherwise.
When choosing a wine glass, select one that is large (around 20 to 22 ounces). With this size, you can swirl the wine around more freely. Furthermore, select a glass wine that is clear and thin with a long stem. Make sure the glass curves slightly inward at the top.
With the knowledge you’ve gained here, you should be able to move forward and impress others with your great wine knowledge. Take the time to continue reading on this site and others to broaden your horizons. You’ll never look at wine the same way once you know as much as you can!
