Choosing Wine

Have you ever decided to buy a bottle of wine, only to find yourself in the wine section later on, with either a panic beginning to grip you (if you?re prone to panic) or a catatonic state descending upon you (if you?re prone to catatonia)? I have. The word ?wine? is cruelly deceiving, as those four letters must suffice to describe every single beverage made from fermented grapes. The key is to take a deep breath and learn how the world of wine is divided into fairly neat categories.

Whether you?re looking for a new bottle to try in a style you already like or exploring new territory, it?s very helpful to have a basic framework in which to categorize your wine knowledge. Luckily for us, in recent years, a group of MW?s (Masters of Wine) has been working with scientists at the University of California at Davis to make wine easier to understand. In numerous tastings, they found that people often use the words ?mild? to ?strong? to categorize a wine. From this point of departure, we can begin to organize everything we learn into neat groups called Anchor Wines.

Mild sweet (light body) Example: White Zinfandel Mild white (light body) Example: Sauvignon Blanc Strong white (full body) Example: Chardonnay Mild Red (light body) Example: Pinot Noir Strong Red (full body) Example: Cabernet Sauvignon

If you?ve never chosen wines before, your first choices will be shots in the dark, but you?ll soon find out what suits your palate, and you?ll be on your way to exploring. Each new wine will reveal characteristics and you?ll be able to place it within one of the anchor wine categories. This will help tremendously when you begin to pair foods with wines and organize wine tastings.

In closing, remember that the wine experience is very personal. It is a combination of genetics, culture and experience. For example, about 25% of the population is highly sensitive to bitter compounds (66% of that 25% are women) while 25% can?t sense the same compounds. Some wines may be more special to you if you drink them in ideal settings, such as with a lover on the coast of Provence! The more you drink a particular wine, such as Tawny Port, you may grow fond of it. So, if a wine doesn?t taste good to you, don?t drink it. If it does, by all means, drink it!