Question about wine?

Question

I would love to take a wine tasting class. Can someone explain the differences b/t the flavors of wine? If I went to the store to buy some, what should I look for? All I have had is white zinfandel.

yes, I'm over 21, I'm 28.

Answer 1

First my snobbery. White Zin should be outlawed!

Ok, now that that is out of the way. Tradition has it that reds are for meat dishes and white for poultry and fish. In the modern age that tradition is often ignored and the new mantra is 'drink what you like'. I'm more of a traditionalist but I will drink reds with poultry and fish sometimes. Reds are believed to have more health benefits than whites. Having a glass with dinner every day is something I heartily recommend. Perhaps even having one right before bedtime and you will sleep like a baby.

Pinot Noir is a lighter red and will go well with lamb dishes and poultry. Look for Pinots from Oregon or Washington State for quality and reasonable price.

Zinfandel (not that white stuff, but the regular red) is an excellent choice for spicy foods, think Mexican or Thai. Zin's often have a peppery taste and when you eat spicy foods with it you get these little explosions of pepper going off all over your mouth. I love it. I particularly like the Zin's from Amador County CA.

Merlots are a fruity wine and are excellent with most beef dishes. Chile and Argentina make some fine Merlot's as well as the Napa and Sonoma areas of CA.

Cabernet Sauvignon is for the boldest of meats, think thick steaks. Again, think Chile, Argentina, Napa and Sonoma.

One I have become rather fond of lately is Shiraz (also known as Syrah). It tastes a little sweeter, at least on my palate, and seems to go well with just about everything. If the new mantra of drink what you like applies, then this is the wine for me (at least for the short term). Look for inexpensive Shiraz imported from Australia.

There are many other reds but these are the main ones and should get you started well.

As for whites, there's the sweet Chardonnay and the less sweet Sauvingnon Blanc. I love to use a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc in recipes that call for cooking with white wine. Riesling is also a nice white, try looking for those from the Finger Lakes region of New York state. Hard to find them outside of New York though.

Dessert wines? Sorry, not into that. Give me another glass of Zinfandel or Shiraz instead.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Ahhh, you are about to open your mind and palette to a wonderful experience.

It is acquired, but once to start, you'll understand the difference between fine wine and a brown bag special.

In a way, wine tasting islike any culinary treat. If you snarf the food, you will stop your thirst or hunger, but it does no more than that. If you take the time to enjoy the presentation, the smell, and the subtle aspects, you will have an experience that you don;t have in any other way.

I'm sure there are others that can explain it better, but I am or was in the same shoes as you, so let me describe my experience and learning.

As a taster, try this with ANY wine, even your Zinfandel.
0) Be sure your palette is cleansed or not biased by what you ate or drank unless you are having the wine to complement a food. A swish of peligrino water may cleanse you pallete if you have something overwhelming.
1) Choose an appropriate wine glass for the wine. Others may help. It should be clear and rounded to allow the wine to swirl.
2) When poured, let it settle a few seconds and watch it. A bad bottle may have residue and cork which can destroy the exxperience. You may want to refuse it.
3) Lift the glass by the stem and swirl it gently and watch for the particilate residue. If none, start looking for the positive aspects. Does the wine leave a bit of liquid film on the glass, if s, it tends to be more full bodied and you may anticipate that.
4) Put your nose in the glass first and smell the aroma. Think about what it reminds you of. Does it smell like flowers? like fruit? like oak? smoky?
5) Take a light sip. And let the wine cover your tasts buds and think about the experience. How does it taste and smell now. Compare with others. Sometimes there is a statement that it 'has an almost cherry fruitiness" or "it has an earthy flavor or bouquet" will turn you on t that experience that you hadn;t noticed before. I THINK THIS IS THE SECRET TO UNDERSTANDING FLAVORS AND BOUQUETS OF WINE>>>HAVE A GUIDE TO THE TASTING AND FLAVORS...
6) Sip and don;t slug...flavor doesn't rise much from your throat. The first sips will characterize the wine in your mouth, I think. Toward the end of the glass it is usually less fulfilling, HOWEVER, I have had a few excellent wines that were marvelous all the way through.

If you are tasting other wines, cleanse the pallete if possible to enjoy each. In a wine celler or winery teasting, you usually don;t have that option so they start light wines to heavier. Pelligrino is a good cleanser tho.

Of course, food may complement the wine and bring out some of the flavor. I am not good at matching this except by common knowledge perception (Light wines with chicken and fish, bolder red wines with red meat, etc.) but there ae MANY exceptions, esp. with cheeses.

Answer 3

Wine is more often than not an acquired taste. There are different kinds of wines sold by type of grape, how it is harvested and where it was grown. Most people don't commonly enjoy wine if they know little about it for any other quality than its effects rather than for the sensory pleasures involved.

There are different qualities in each different kind of wine like tannic wines, sweet wines, bold wines, mellow wines, bright and fruity wines, aperitifs or ports and it really depends on what food you are going to eat them with to really experience them.

Wine has forever been consumed as an enhancement to a meal and I believe that is how it should be enjoyed. Some foods and flavors just bring out the flavors of the wine and visa versa.

I believe that they should be enjoyed WITH something to be fully beneficial and appreciated by the pallet.


I love Valpolicella, chianti, shiraz, chardonnay, zin's and the vineyards I tend to gravitate toward are Oregon, Chili, Italy, France and Australia.

Answer 4

The best way to learn about the flavours and smells of wine is to taste as large a variety of foods as possible and smell as many different things as possible. For example, some red wines smell like leather and tar and smoke and taste like peppers and mushrooms and herbs. On the other hand, white wines can smell like candied fruit and flowers and citrus with tastes of spice and butter and minerals.

If you look on the back label you will see sometimes a description and those are always filled with words like earthy goodness and cherries and you name it. Well, the reality is, you are picking out smells and flavours that you can potentially smell in your every day life. Just try expanding what you eat and smell in your day to day life and you'll be able to pick out the smells and flavours from the wine. Remember, this is something that takes a lot of practice - but isn't tasting wine the best practice of all?

Answer 5

there are a few million pages dedicated to your question on the internet alone, ill give you a link to cyraknow, where one of the most esteemed wine man mark Phillips gives an i-pod ready step by step guide on wine without the " snob effect.
http://www.cyraknow.com/index.html
the next is a free series of step by steps on a winesite that seems to have most things covered.
http://www.wineloverspage.com/taste/intro.phtml

most of all dont worry about what others may like or not like. if you dont know, try it. that is the best way to answer your question. besides the majority of tasters seem to have superpallates that the average wine drinker wont get the same effects from a glass. Just go with tastes good to you, and dont worry about ratings or prices. some of the best gems are cheap and poorly rated.

Answer 6

Red wine: merlot is more like a berry taste and Cabernet tastes more woody. The red wine is "new" with 3 years aged
The red wine is better when is older.
White wine: here are 3 divisions:
*Green wine, made in Portugal & Germany, very acid.
*Fruit taste: generally pinot gray and chardonay is the grape kind.
Best wines are from Italy and France.
*Sec: The grape is pinot noir and it feels like needles and burbles in the thong.
The white wines are good with less than 3 years aged.
New countries producing wines: Australia, New Zeland, Argentina, Chile & Southafrica.

Answer 7

Kevin Zraly wrote this book. It's very good and will teach you all need need to know about wines.

"Windows On the World Complete Wine Course" Book (2004 ED.)
$31.95

Here's where you can order it.

http://www.wineproductsunlimited.com/site/1348473/product/IWA-BK65-002

Answer 8

The bad part about wine tasting is that you are not supposed to swallow the wine. Supposed to spit it out, clear you palate and try another. Thats not fun!

Jeez, what's up with the guy above me?

Answer 9

There is a book called "Wine for Dummies"
I, too wanted to learn more, & have found this to be really helpful!!

Happy tasting!! :-)

Answer 10

go to wines.com,I hope you are over 21