Getting Started with Wine

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 bookshelf, 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.

Corkscrew: Lamentably, too many people fret about opening a bottle of wine. Wines that are now packaged with screw caps are not necessarily poor quality. In fact, they can be every bit as good as one with a cork in it. If you are not sure, buy a screw-top wine to drink while you work on opening the one with a cork. I am a big fan of the waiter’s cork screw or wine key, but since this seems to take the most time to master, we will go right to screw pull. Place the screw pull on top of the bottle after you remove the capsule with a foil cutter or knife and twist the handle in the cork. The cork is removed with little effort.

Wine: Well, we have glasses, a screw pull and we have started reading a good book; now we need some wine. So here are a couple of very good wine recommendations to make use of all of those items.

Sauvignon Blanc Honing 2008 (Napa Valley, California): The Honig family farms their vineyards and makes their wine utilizing sustainable farming methods and solar power. The wine is quintessential Sauvignon Blanc, emphasizing fruit and acidity without oak. The wine is dry, light-bodied with crisp acidity citrus flavors and light minerals.

Cabernet Sauvignon Sanctuary “Usibelli Vineyard” ’05 (Napa Valley, California): From famed winemaker Dennis Martin of Fetzer, Sanctuary produces only premium varietals for single-vineyard wines. In addition to the Usibelli Vineyard, they are also making a Pinot Noir from Bien Nacido Vineyard in Santa Maria. This Cabernet Sauvignon is a classic big, rich, oaky Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. It is loaded with flavors of plum, blackberry, and vanilla, with a touch of spice and well-integrated tannins.

Brut Roederer NV (Anderson Valley, California): This winery is part of the French company Louis Roederer. Louis Roederer makes the ultra-expensive Cristal Champagne. The best way to make sparkling wine is called the Champagne method. Obviously this producer is familiar with that method. Grapes used to produce this wine are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The sparkling wine has a fantastic creamy mousse and is dry, medium-bodied with delicious flavors of fresh-baked bread, baking spice, and citrus.

Scott is General Manager of the Bristol Bar & Grille- Jeffersonville and is Wine Director/Sommelier for the 5 Bristol Bar & Grille’s in Louisville and Indiana. He teaches wine through Bellarmine University. Scott is a Master Sommelier and a Certified Wine Educator.