Defining a Great Wine for You

More than a few books have been written on the art of making the one great wine. Even more have been written and sold on recognizing it when you are tasting wines.

Defining a great wine requires a step back from the guides, terms and tasting technique proffered here and there. There is one reason and one reason only to drink a particular wine ? you enjoy it! Okay, you might want to drink a wine the boss suggests, but you get my drift. Wine is meant to be enjoyed. A good wine versus a bad wine can be objectively identified, but most wines fall into a vaguer categorization.

I am not a fan of white wines. I am just not. No particular reason, but they just do not appeal to my palate. Does that mean white wines are inferior? Of course, not. If a wine master were to point out the ultimate bottle of white, I would probably still find it to be ho hum. In fact, I often drink red wines with?fish! Well, salmon, but this supposedly debunks the fish and wine guidelines. I really don?t care because I enjoy the meal.

It is important that you be true to yourself when drinking wine. Whether you have a refined taste or not is hardly the issue. It is what you like and don?t that should be at the forefront of your decision making. After all, what is the point of sitting around reading a book and sipping a wine you really don?t like? There isn?t one.

When tasting wines, the aroma, flavor, attack, tannin and so on will quickly become a point of conversation. It is important to understand that these terms are used as tools to describe a wine, not define it per se. If you prefer a wine with a soft attach, then a lack of an attack is a good thing. If you prefer a vintage that comes on like a train, then a strong attack is for you. You will note that neither position is wrong or right. It is just a matter of preference.

I always find it odd to learn that a person drinks a wine because of its reputation instead of their personal feelings on the matter. If you are throwing a party, then you may want to go with the name wine if you feel it is important. If you are lounging on the deck after a hard day at work, drink what you like. It is the perfect wine for you!