I don’t drink wine.
I know, how is this possible? I have been to Europe, South America, and Africa. I am well-educated. I am opinionated on so many things (quilting fabric, pens, stationary, soccer teams, soccer gear, etc.). How is it that I have traveled this far through my life without acquiring the taste for wine? I just haven’t.
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I think the main problem is that I expect the wine to be sweet. So when it’s not, my taste buds are just offended… like, “Booooo! What is this swill? Seriously, what are you doing to us?” I also don’t really do hard liquor… so I figured it was time to grow up a bit, which is why I took on this wine challenge.
So far, it’s been kind of hit or miss. A note about my taste: if one were to twist my arm and force me to order wine at Olive Garden, I would order the Lambrusco. Yeah, that is exactly my point. If it is not a white wine and its refrigerated can it really be called a wine? On hearing about my wine challenge my friend Rachel tried to set me up with some wines. Her hope was that she might be able to help me, with her sophisticated understanding of palates, and flavors, and blossoms and grapes, etc. She gave me a bottle of wine, which I mistook for formaldehyde Seriously. When I told her this, I think she lost all hope for me.
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So far, I really liked the Wild Berry Pinot Noir and the Lindelman’s Pinot Grigio. The other night, I dug out a bottle of wine that my husband and I bought in Paris in 2006. It was bottled in 2004. I felt like kind of a big deal. Yeah, a real shot caller. Like a boss.
My husband, while being somewhat fluent in French, was useless in translating the language on the bottle. Apparently, it was written in the most flowery descriptive French you can imagine. So I have no idea what it was I drank. It was carmel colored and super sweet. Yeah, I am guessing it probably went bad (its not like this was stored adequately in a cool celler). It has been sitting in a wine rack on top of the fridge. Seriously, I don’t know why I am allowed to be an adult.
All for now. Will write more when I drink more!!
Wine Folly (http://winefolly.com/) is a great place to start if you want to learn about wine. Madeline makes fun (and funny!) videos, and she’s great at explaining all the smartypants crap you hear from wine snobs, in a totally accessible way. I credit her work with getting me to try something other than Yellow Tail.
Good luck becoming a wino!
My wine journey began with sweet wine. Just start there and branch out as you discover the higher quality versions of what you enjoy. Also…sparkling wine goes with everything. No, really. Spend $15 to $20 or more on it to avoid the total junk and find yourself a wine shop that offers good customer service. They want to educate you as much as you want to be educated.
Oh, and go buy a decent/good bottle of Moscato d’Asti (that’s a type, not a brand). Good luck!
This is a great project! You should find out if there are any wine stores near you. Most of them have free weekly tastings where you can sample the different wines and they will tell you all about them. It’s the best way to learn, and it’s free! And don’t be intimidated – wine professionals love nothing more than sharing their knowledge and turning people on to new things, and 99% of them won’t be snobby at all. :)
Great suggestions you guys!! Thanks so much!!
I recommend starting with bubbly wines. They don’t have to be sweet, but they are still fun to drink – and there are lots that are not too expensive. Plus – don’t YOU seem sophisticated when you order prosecco or cava when out with your friends?! Also – take a look at the descriptions of the wines you liked (fruit forward? Berry and cherry? Tobacco? etc.) – then look for another wine that has the a similar description. ALSO – use your local wine store – tell them what you liked and ask them to make a recommendation – they usually know a lot, and will likely steer you to something similar that will broaden your horizon.
FINALLY – if you really hate it, don’t feel like you have to finish it. Instead, find recipes that use wine (risotto, pasta sauce, etc.) and use it up that way -or, just pour it down the sink. Good luck! It took me quite a few years, and well into my thirties, to become the wine lover I am now.
Congrats to you for branching out!
If you like sweet wines, there are many rieslings, gewurztraminers, moscatos and sparkling wines that could fit the bill. For a sweet red, try Jam Jar sweet shiraz. You can find it at Whole Foods or Amazon and it really is like drinking jam.
Wine Folly, mentioned above, is an EXCELLENT resource for all things wine related.
If you would like more suggestions, check out my Pinterest board for wine. When I find new ones I like, I try to keep track and make notes.
http://pinterest.com/kathleenemma/wine-i-need-to-drink-more-of/
Last, I think you will find that the more wines you drink, the more your palate will adjust to different things. You’ll start to recognize patterns in taste and find more things you’re attracted to.
P.S. If you happen to stumble upon a bottle of red you’re not into this (http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2011/09/red-wine-chocolate-cake/) is an excellent use for it.
So, I finally made it to wine folly. And have printed their infographic on the different types of wines. This is so helpful- now when I am standing in front of the wines, I know what I need to look for. Unlike what I was doing, which was judging based on the wine label and bottle. “Oooooh, this is a cool bottle. This will be tasty.” Now I can have this conversation: “Well, I really liked that bottle of Pinot Grigio, let’s try this bottle of Chablis.”
Thanks so much for the help you guys, you are basically awesome!!