Setting aside the cliché aspect of the topic, these are some tips I am honestly excited to share. For the last year I have been focused quite a bit on tasting notes – writing them, thinking about what makes a good one, even using AI-generated art to expand on what they could be. With that comes a lot of thought about how “civilians” think about wine (occasionally, typically at the point of purchase) compared to those of us in the industry think about it (all the time, everywhere).
The outcome of all that thought is this list of manageable tips to help anyone whose resolution involves learning more about wine. The main goal is to help you, the wine drinker, learn what you like, how to describe it, and how to get more of it – without diving into a class.
Happy sipping!
1) Find a shop you like and let them help you. This is a bit of cliché (might as well kick off a cliched topic with a cliched tip, right?) but it remains the single best tip I can give. Good shops are filled with people who like to talk about wine. Yet, as I joke in past columns, the day-in day-out job involves copious amounts of cardboard and excel spreadsheets and other non-wine-retailed tasks. So, when someone comes in and wants to talk about wine… like really talk about wine… it’s literally the dream we want to live. So, find a shop, ideally local, but potentially anywhere that will ship to you, and let them know what your wine goals are and how much you want to spend.
2) Take advantage of case discounts. If you can afford it – and have the space at home – buy deep. Case discounts will generally range from 10% to 15% for 12 bottles. Some shops may have smaller discounts for 6 bottles or offer some sort of discount if you bring back a reusable bag and fill it up. (A wine math tip: bigger case discounts don’t always mean better details. Most small, independent retailers work on a similar target margin. So, if you see a 20% case discount, chances are very good that the individual bottle prices are much higher than they would be at a shop that offers a 10% discount.) If your wine is being shipped, you definitely want to buy by the case so you can spread the adult signature fee, box cost, and base-line shipping fee across the largest amount of bottles. No, it’s not cheap to ship wine, but the cost is worth it if you’re getting customized selection from a retailer that’s willing to do a bit of handholding on your selection.
3) Not up for a case? Try 3 bottles at a time. I have a theory that any good shop person should be able to triangulate your taste three bottles at a time. If asked, I’ll pick out a bottle I’m fairly certain you’ll like, a bottle that’s a few steps removed from your sweet spot, and one that will push your limits. You report back about which you liked and which you didn’t like—and we keep going from there.
4) Don’t be afraid to open multiple bottles at the same time. Having multiple bottles open at the same time will allow you to compare and contrast what’s in them. This sort of “side by side” tasting is the single best way to learn about differences in styles, grapes, regions, and qualities. And you can’t do that if you won’t open multiple bottles at the same time. What’s that you say? That you don’t want to waste the wine?? That brings me to the next point….
5) Get over the idea that an open bottle of wine goes bad in a day. Yes, some do, but I swear that many, many bottles will taste just fine for days, if not weeks. And if you’re talking high acid whites with a bit of sugar in them, I’m still enjoying bottles that have been open for over a year. Yes… a year! (OK, two years…I can be a very slow drinker.) Sure, it might lose a bit its nuance or a touch of its freshness, but remember – you aren’t running a by-the-glass program at a restaurant. You’re just maximizing time spent with your bottles.
6) Invest in a preservation system. Those bottles that you’re opening will hold up quite nicely in the fridge (or I’ll to be completely honest, on the countertop.) But if you want to be a bit fancier, a preservation system will extend their life even further. The Vacu Vin Wine Pump is my favorite – and it’s cheap: less than $30 for the pump and a few stoppers.
7) If it’s open and it’s offered – taste it!!! If you’re at a wine shop and someone is offering a taste of something, just try it. It’s free. And I promise you, you’re not expected to buy it. If you’re really not up for a drink, ask for a spit bucket. In-store tastings can be miserable experiences for the sales reps conducting them, so any sort of kind-hearted conversation will be a welcome distraction. And you’re almost sure to learn something. Ask about how they would describe the wine – and if you don’t love what they’re pouring, try to explain what you don’t like about it…and ask if there’s anything else in the shop they sell that you might like.
8) Focus on “structure” rather than “flavor.” Gooseberries, red fruits, black fruits, all the spices in your spice cabinet and a florist full of flowers – these flavors and smells are both evocative and confounding. They’re also extremely limiting, extraordinary subjective and very much tied to where we grew up and what we ate for dinner. The structural elements (acidity and tannins, body and alcohol) are more objective and can be discussed in ways that are somewhat measurable (High! Low! Medium+!). I can line up several bottles, pour you a sip of each, and walk you through acidity levels in a way that makes much more sense than coming to terms with a gooseberry.
9) Learn the “code words” to describe the wines you like. When you find wines you like, ask your retail guide how to describe them in a way that will make sense to other wine industry folks. Feel free to let these other wine industry folks know that you’re using words given to you by your friendly wine retailer – it’s a good way to strike up a conversation and it will help you get a bottle that you like.
10) But also figure out your own tasting language. Do you see colors? Paintings? Architecture? Do you hear music? Do certain films or actors, animals or weather patterns spring to mind? This is the big secret in the wine world. Most of us don’t naturally taste gooseberries or red fruits or black fruits or spices when we take a sip. Rather, our fancy wine training has taught us to translate what we taste into those code words I mentioned above. If you know those words, we can surely get you want you want. But the colors and images and seemingly strange associations that immediately spring to mind and memory? That’s the fun part of wine – don’t lose sight of it.