I'm starting to develop a taste for wine. How do I select a quality wine and what are the differences between

Question

Wines grown in France, compared to California, New Zeland, and Chile?

Answer 1

I would suggest going to a winery for a ''tasting''. More important than a wines origin is it's taste (to you).

I don't know where you are but:

http://www.napavalley.com/wineries/

http://www.virginiawines.org/

http://www.sonoma.com/wineries/

http://wine.about.com/od/wineries/A_Beginners_Guide_to_the_Best_Wineries_by_Region.htm

Answer 2

First examine what you wish to pay for a bottle of wine $5, $10. $25, $50. $100 more? Wines from California, especially if you live in California is good and relatively inexpensive $10-$15 a bottle. French wines are good, but quite compatible to California wines. Chilian wines are not as popular (yet), Australian wines are coming into the US market but not yet very plentiful. Next you will need to experiment do you like red or white? Light or rich-heavy? If you live in an area with wineries go wine tasting to get a sampling of different kinds of wines. Try different wines in bars or restaurants. Purchase different wines to drink at home. It is a life long learning process and your tastes may change over time. Happy drinking.

Answer 3

Climate and soil conditions vary in different locations, but all of the areas you mentioned are known for ideal conditions to produce excellent wines. In my own experience there are excellent wineries in each, but also some lower quality winemakers.

There are several good wine guides available at the bookstore or sometimes even the grocery store than can point you in the right direction, not only rating the wine, but giving descriptions of its flavor and body. But, as many people have slightly different preferences, you should add your own notes as you sample any given wine so you'll remember in the future what you thought of it.

Find a good store with a wide variety, buy a couple of bottles a week, and keep notes as you find wineries and varieties that you enjoy. Your palette will develop in time, as will your knowledge about what's on the shelves, and before you know it you'll be an amateaur sommalier!

Answer 4

i would say just buy a bunch of stuff. One thing I did here in napa at this wine museum we have was a sauvignon blanc tasting. we tried 5 wines from all over the world, california, france, new zealand, etc. all from similar price points. YOu could seriously taste the difference between them. I normally love Sauv Blanc, but found New Zealand to be my favorite.

A great thing to try, would be to go to a local wine store, or beverages & more or something, become friends with the wine person and do flights as i described above. You can do this with anything from a specific variety of wine, to different ccountries. etc.

Each of the areas you mention are all great wine growing areas, but each has their own specialty. Chile even grows a grape that originated in france that no longer exists in europe.

have fun, try anything and everything! your palate is your best guide.

Answer 5

how to select a quality wine:

two schools of thought. (1) trial and error leading to what you like. you may have a better palette for reds than whites. then you can get deeper into each. for example, you may like reds, but which one? cabs? merlots? pinot noirs? meritages? etc. (2) find out how wine spectator, wine enthusiast, robert parker, etc grade certain wines and what they say about them. they make their living doing that. chances are you won't go wrong with their research.

different regions in the world greatly affect the grapes that are grown there. simply, it's climate that determines what grapes are best grown in a certain area. rainfall, sunlight, temperature, soil quality, etc all are contributing factors. all of the regions you mentioned have been known to produce good wines. but the wine maker is the key too. a crappy wine maker can make a crappy wine even with the best grapes.

Answer 6

This is basically a trial and error thing. You need to go look at several wines and buy several in different brand, type, cost, etc. The best thing is to go wine tasting to get a start.

The best advice is to drink what you like and can also afford.

Answer 7

if you have a nice wine shoppe near you, go visit it. the person in there can tell you all you need to know. sometimes they have booklets you can have to help you with choices and dont forget the wine tasting schedules. thats the best way to get to know what wines you like the best without buying it just to find out you hate it. the information is endless.....what wines with what foods, wines with what cheeses and wines with what deserts. mostly port wines go well with deserts but check these wine shoppes out. the ones that cater to just wines, meats, cheeses. you will have a great time learning and experiencing new things and people. i loved it myself. good luck and i hope there is something near you like this.

Answer 8

I would like to have a glass of wine right now