Getting Started with Wine
Written by Scott Harper, MS
What would I have done? What advice would I give someone who was just getting into wine or just wanted to casually learn about wine in order to appreciate wine more? Sure taking a class on wine would be a great idea, but there are many things to get the process started without such a commitment. What steps would I suggest without spending a lot of time or making it too complex? After all, it is supposed to bring us pleasure, not involvedness. Book My first thought is a good wine book. I am currently anxiously awaiting a new wine book to be delivered from one of my favorite wine regions, Châteauneufdu-Pape, aptly named The Châteauneuf-du-Pape Wine Book by Harry Karis. When I told my wife Georgia to expect the book, she gave me the look as if to say, “Another book? You are a Master Sommelier. Do you need more books?” I decided to count how many wine books were on my book shelf, and I stopped counting at 70. To become a Master Sommelier, it does take a lot of books, but to get going or to increase your wine knowledge, one book will do. A very good basic, but not too basic, book is “Windows on The World, Complete Wine Course” by Kevin Zraly. Be sure to buy the latest edition, which is updated annually. If Mr. Zraly’s book would have been my first wine book, I would have learned about wine much more rapidly. This book is concise with just enough information to make it interesting and not laborious like a wine encyclopedia. Glasses Good wine glasses are a must. Here it is easy to go crazy with glasses made to go with specific grapes. Granted, I have many of these, but filling your cabinet with a dozen different glasses for a dozen different wines and trying to figure out each is hardly hitting the easy button. So I recommend getting two glasses to start off. Size is probably the single most important factor. Undersized glasses reduce pleasure, while oversized glasses can enhance it. Glasses should be able to hold at least 12 ounces, but I prefer upwards to 20. Pouring them about a fourth of the way up works nicely for swirling and to develop the aroma. Narrowing it down to one glass for still wine, I would go with a bowl shaped glass sometimes called a Pinot Noir or Burgundy glass. We all should be drinking more sparkling wine, and when you do, it should be from the tall flute-shaped glass, as you want the bubbles to stay in the glass. Make sure it can hold at least eight ounces. Winery Visiting a winery can provide you with an effortless introduction to wine. It can be both fun and educational. Visit a local winery or tag along on a visit to one in an area you are already traveling to. You may be surprised in the quality of the wine tour and educational experience you can get at your local winery, not to mention their wine. Seeing how wine is made and tasting it is the single best way to learn and increase your pleasure of wine.
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