Wine Tasting

Semi-fictional reader question:
“Ok, you’re starting to convince me that wine really isn’t as scary as it’s portrayed in popular culture. Now what? What do I do to learn about and taste wine?”

I know I’m not keen to shell out a huge amount of money to learn about wine...or really for anything. I’ve purchased a few books and have been lucky enough to work in the wine industry where instruction is inevitable—but the most helpful aspect of my wine education has been to just taste wine. That’s something everyone can do easily and without a lot of expense.

Winemakers want you to taste their wine. Wine is a product that tends to build great consumer loyalty, so the more people who sample it, the greater the potential fan base. Free tastings, or those with a nominal fee, are readily available all over the country.

http://www.localwineevents.com/ is a great resource. You can sign up for daily or weekly updates to alert you to what wine events are happening in your city. Many of the events listed are on the pricey side, but the website often includes free tastings.

Grocery store tastings
Illegal in many U.S. states, but quite popular in others, grocery store tastings are a great way to sample affordable wines. Try checking your local Whole Foods, Wild Oats, PCC, Metropolitan Market, and other higher-end or natural foods stores for their wine programs.

Wine shop tastings
This is probably your best bet for tastings. Your local small wine retailer, or even larger wine merchant, almost certainly puts on weekly or monthly tastings—and they’re probably free. Staff at these stores are usually knowledgeable, and the probability that the person pouring is a representative from a winery, or the winemaker, is fairly high. Just be sure to go with an open mind, and not just to drink.

Regional events
Wine regions like Burgundy, Bordeaux, Paso Robles, Washington State, and sundry Australian groups travel all over to grow their consumer base. Typically they produce events for wine trade like restaurateurs, sommeliers and wine buyers, but often there is a component for wine enthusiasts. Local wine retailers will know about these tastings, and often they’ll be included on wine websites.

Winery tours
Chances are there’s a winery near where you live. Even if you’re convinced your palate is built only for Australian Shiraz, trying a Muscadine wine from Georgia, a Riesling from New York or a Lodi Chardonnay will give you a more well-rounded appreciation of all wines. Find out what wineries are near you, and take a few hours of a weekend to check a couple out. You may be surprised by what you find.

Need help finding a winery near you? It may be worth joining WineAmerica Trailblazers. For a yearly fee, you have access to the website which has lists of wineries by state, as well as other resources.

Another fun way to learn: http://tv.winelibrary.com/. Some people find this guy, Gary Vaynerchuk, rather annoying. I find him pretty hilarious and passionate about wine. This is definitely worth a look.