How To Find Great Wine
3 min readWine consumption across the globe is growing at an exponential rate. There seems to be an increasing trend of people moving away for beers and carbonated alcoholic beverages and moving towards the subtleties and myriad of options that are available to those who want to explore the world of wine. there may be any number of reasons for this, but they may include the fact that there are now greater levels of disposable income in the developing world and also the fact that wine prices have been driven down due to enormous competition in what is a growing market. Let us also not forget that there has been an explosion of new wineries across the world as New World wines compete fiercely with wines from more established regions such as France.
Today there are wonderful, complex wines coming out of places like California’s Napa Valley which join wines from South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia (to mention only a few) to provide wine lovers with ever more choice at ever more value for money price points.
With all this variety and choice available, the major challenge for those who want to explore the complexities and pleasures of wine is just how to find great wine.
There are several ways that wine lovers can make sure that they get their hands on wines that will not only please their palates – but will also reward that sense of curiosity that is so essential to the really delving into the world of wine.
The first step is to identify a wine that has potential. It may seem obvious but a logical first step is to simply read the label on the back of the bottle. In all probability this will not be your first bottle of wine so you will have a fairly good idea of what you like. The description of the notes and flavors is on each good bottle of wine. They will tell you if they are fruity or sweet, dry or acidic (which may be the result of ‘tannin-heavy’ nature).
The next great way to ensure that the bottle of wine that you purchase will suit your unique taste is to make some notes and explore a little. If you are at a restaurant or at dinner with friends and family and you are served a wine that you enjoy take note of the region and the grape varietal. If other guests are really enjoying it – that might be worth noting as well. Hint – you don’t need paper – use the notes functionality on your smartphone – that’s what it’s there for – and you’re always carrying it so it will be at hand when you next make a wine purchase. Use one of the many apps that are now available to help find great wine – they are by and large fantastic and very easy to use.
Some last words. Ignore marketing. It’s usually nonsense. Explore more – take a look at bottles that are not at eye level when shopping and do not be lured by deep discounts. You never know whether it’s a great deal or the retail outlet trying to get rid of some bargain basement rubbish.
Explore the world of wine and enjoy great taste and an adventure that will take you to wonderful places all over the world – all at the twist of a corkscrew.
