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Paige Comrie

3 Easy Ways to Learn More About Wine

2020-12-16

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The world of wine can feel incredibly intimidating. Foreign terminology, expensive bottles, a perceived aura of pretention. It can all be overwhelming!

If you find yourself freezing the moment you’re handed a wine menu, or frantically answering “I’ll have what she’s having!”, don’t worry. There’s some easy steps here we can take to move you along in your wine journey.

As long as you were born with a nose and taste buds, and capable of forming an opinion, there’s no reason to be intimidated by wine. It’s just fermented grape juice, after all! Don’t let a silly beverage scare you. Instead, embrace it, learn to sip intentionally, and let a little wine elevate your everyday.

And while we’re on this subject… please keep this in mind: the only real rule in wine is to drink what you like. You’re allowed to form your own opinion about anything in this world, wine included.

At this point, thanks to progress in viticultural and enological practices, there’s really few technically “bad” wines out there. A vast majority of what you’ll find in the market today is technically correct and “good” by general consumer standards. So when it comes down to whether you want to drink something, don’t worry about being “wrong”. It’s all about what you like!

So why take the time to learn about wine then? Wine can be a beautifully complex drink. When you take time to sip it intentionally, it can be a truly wonderful experience. And that’s what I do -- I teach people to slow down, sip and savor life, and appreciate the wine in front of them.

In this article, we’ll break down just a few of the ways you can learn about wine and begin incorporating this

Get Nerdy With Some Wine Books

There’s a range of resources out there to read and learn more about wine. From primers to more advanced texts, there’s something for every step of your wine journey.

Welcome to Wine for the Wine Beginner. This cute illustrated book is a great way to wet your palate into the world of wine. It covers everything you’d need to have a basic understanding of wine in a charming and instructive way.

Oldman’s Guide to Outsmarting Wine for the Wine Intermediate. I love this book and find myself constantly referencing it. It’s designed for people who have little to no understanding of wine and includes information that’s practical and will help you approach wine with confidence.

Wine Folly… for the Wine Intermediate. This book is less one to read and more one to reference. It includes information about nearly every wine region, varietal, and style out there on the market. When you’re trying something new and want to reference some information to give it context, this is the perfect go-to.

Not a book, but if you’re looking for interesting wines to try and up-to-date information about what’s happening in the wine world, check out the wine blog Wine with Paige.

Download Some Wine Apps

The world of wine is a vast place filled with information. The good news for us modern wine lovers? We don’t have to keep it all memorized!

With these two apps at your fingertips, you’ll be a wine pro in no time (or at least be able to pull up the info you need to pass as one!).

Vivino - The best way to get “good” at wine tasting is to practice, be intentional, and keep notes!

Vivino allows you to easily scan the label of any wine bottle to pull up information, including: grape varietals, wine region, winemaker info, average price, food pairings, tasting notes, and user reviews. Looking at this information and tasting alongside it will help you confirm your tasting notes, learn about different wine varietals and regions, and help you keep an accurate record of your wine journey.

As a general rule of thumb, you should ignore other users’ ratings in the app… taste is such a subjective thing that I find it incredibly unhelpful to use anyone’s rating system other than my own.

Based on your reviews and ratings, Vivino will also develop a taste profile for you, that includes styles, regions, and grapes that you’ve tried, love, and should avoid. I find Vivino a fun app to help keep me motivated

Vivino is a free app, available for iPhone and Android.

Pocket Wine - Pocket wine is a simple app that acts as a comprehensive guide to food and wine pairings. In the app, you can search by wine varietal or by food type, showing you the best match for different wine styles, grape varieties and blends.

You can also look up different wine varietals -- so, if you’re out at a restaurant and don’t recognize the wine varietal on the list, you can pull it up in the app and learn how it tastes, the wine’s style, its description and history, popular regions, and recommended food pairings. It’s a great way to expand your palate while exploring new wines.

I love to find something I haven’t tried before when I’m out at a wine shop or restaurant, then read the varietal’s description and information while sipping, glass in hand.

The app also has a simplistic, but accurate, “My Taste” area where it will give you an indication of your preferences for each of the 6 basic wine styles based on a short survey. Additionally, you can keep track of your cellar with their “My Wines” section.

Take an Online Wine Course

There’s a whole world of virtual classes available to learn about wine. It can be a great way to get personalized interaction and learn about wine in a fun and engaging way.

7 Days to Wine Confidence - This course is designed for someone who’s looking to get a base understanding of wine. The course is all pre-recorded and self-paced, however, it’s recommended to do one module per day (about 15-20 minutes of video learning). By the end of that week, you should be able to confidently speak about wine in any setting and have a better grasp of what goes into the winemaking process.

Wine 101 Foundational Wine Course - Taught by the Napa Valley Wine Academy, this course is a comprehensive introduction to wine. Throughout this course, you will come to understand why a wine tastes the way it does as you learn about how the major grape varieties, wine regions, and winemaking processes shape a wine’s character. And, maybe most importantly, you will be given the tools to become a better wine taster and learn how to pair wine with food more effortlessly.

WSET (Wine and Spirit Educational Trust) - If you’re looking to get really into wine, consider signing up for the WSET courses. These are commonly used by wine trade professionals to get certified and develop a comprehensive understanding of wine.

Virtual Tasting Experience with a Certified Somm - Samantha Capaldi is a certified sommelier who hosts virtual tastings for people in their homes. It can be a great way to get individual attention, develop your palate, and just have FUN learning about wine.

Conclusion

There are so many different ways to learn about wine. Books, podcasts, movies, apps, formal education… you name it! No matter which you choose, you’re embarking on a wonderful journey that will last a lifetime.

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