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May 17, 2007
3 years ago Decisions, DecisionsOkay. You are convinced you want to broaden your horizons and explore various unique wines from around the world. So you head to the local wine shop, waltz through the front door, and halt dead in your tracks. Your jaw drops, your eyes bulge, your heart quickens. Reality dawns on you—the reality that you are about to be forced to make one of the toughest decisions you have ever had to make: which wine should you choose?
Well, first of all, don’t be shy. Have a talk with the owner, one of his employees, or even a customer who looks like they know what they are doing. They will love the fact that you want to learn something from them, and are making them out to be a wine expert of sorts. Let them know what the occasion is, what food you will be eating, what type of guests, even what mood you’re in. All of this seemingly meaningless information has a lot to do with what wine you should choose. For example, let’s say the occasion is a family reunion. There will be a lot of people getting together for a long period of time—probably all day for a few days. You don’t particularly want a wine strong in alcohol content, or else no one will be able to remember what happened at the family gathering. You also probably don’t want to use a pricy wine, unless you’re Bill Gates. And if your family members are mostly of the “beer and whiskey” sort, well, they won’t really notice the difference. If the main meat being served at the feast is going to be barbeque beef, then you might want to choose a red wine, such as a Merlot, Shiraz, or Pinot Noir. If it’s chicken, go with something like Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, or Sauvignon Blanc. And, last but certainly not least, what type of wine do you personally feel like. ADVERTISEMENT Second of all, don’t be afraid to step out and try something totally new and unique. 100% of the times that I have tried this, I was happy. Even if the “new” selection was not my favorite, I still was glad to have tried it, savored it, and enjoyed it. Doing this step helps make you more of a well-balanced wine connoisseur. You’ll actually feel good about talking about wine, because you know what you are talking about—you’ve tried it. So be brave—step out and explore an absolutely new selection of wine. Finally, make sure you ask your guests for some thoughts of their own. Now I did say that you have the right to be an “itty-bitty-bit selfish” about the wine choices—but not wholly selfish. Your guests may have some good choices of their own. I know a number of instances when I asked my guests what wine they felt like, and they came up with a great choice—and I didn’t regret it one bit. Okay, that wasn’t that hard, was it? Now you don’t have to be absolutely overwhelmed upon entering a wine shop. Follow these three points (and add points of your own as you like), and you will be well on your way to a well-balanced vino enjoyment. |
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