Good advice on how to learn about wine
Start by drinking with focus on particular regions
The most important thing is to approach your ‘studies’ with a certain humility . ... Not every wine will stoke you.”
After “what is your favourite $12 wine that tastes like a $20 wine,” the question I am most often asked is, “how do I learn about wine?”
To answer the “extraordinary” bargain question, my response is that these wines are unicorns. Maybe they exist, but I certainly haven’t tasted them.
On “how to best learn about wine,” I can offer some good advice.
Wine courses are fine, but finding ones that fit your schedules are tough, and there are not many in English. I also find that courses are better taken once you have a solid base.
My suggestion is to drink with focus. Dedicate a few weeks to a certain region. For example, if you are interested in Italian reds, try a number of different wines from the Tuscan region of Bolgheri or Chianti.
While drinking, read up on the wine, the producer, the vintage. Learn about their grapes and how they differ in percentages from those in the other wines you have tasted.
Read what critics are saying about the wine. If you trust a particular critic’s palate, see what else he or she recommends from the region. If a wine is European, try it with local recipes. They often pair to perfection, and most wines taste better with food.
Then move on to another region. After a while, you might find a place where the wines really move you. If that happens, take a trip there, if possible. Contact the producers of wines you really liked and ask if you can visit them. Quite often when you tell them you have travelled all that way, they will open an older vintage or two. Drinking a properly aged bottle of wine you know well will add even more depth to your “study.”
Avoid the large production wines. It’s not that they are necessarily worse than the wines of a smaller producer, but usually the smaller producers source their wines from fewer vineyards. This will offer more typicity as well as an appreciation of the vintage. By sourcing from larger areas, winemakers can adjust wines to have a more consistent taste from vintage to vintage.
Doesn’t seem too gruelling, does it?
The most important thing is to approach your “studies” with a certain humility. You will encounter hundreds of grape varieties from many regions around the world. Not every wine will stoke you. Some might confuse.
But as a guiding principle, understand that a wine made with integrity from properly grown grapes has something unique to offer. If you don’t “get it,” the problem is not with the wine, but with you.
Let the wine test you. Much like with people, those who are genuine and authentic, even if they might rub you the wrong way at first, often have something to offer. Try to figure it out.