Wood on Wine

Dare to try something different
© by Linwood Slayton
One dilemma that many people have is that they just don't know what to buy when faced with so many choices. Most people do have three or four "standbys" they found through trial and error. The longer one sticks with these standbys, the harder it becomes to break the mold and try something different.

Several suggestions may work:

1. Get in the habit of trying at least one new wine each week; drink it over a couple of days first alone and then with food to see how the taste may change
2. Next, try your wines at different temperatures and notice how the smell, flavor and feel of the wine in the mouth changes; Keep notes on the wines you like and dislike and check to see whether and how your likes and dislikes change over time.

Approaching wine in this manner with a degree of organization allows you learn where you are on the "taste evolution scale". Many people begin drinking sweeter or blush wines like German Riesling or White Zinfandel. Typically, as they continue to explore and experience other wines, their tastes will tend to evolve towards dryer and less sweet white wines such as Chardonnay, then on to the light, fruity red wines such as French Beaujolais.

Some folks do actually make it all the way to the other end of the scale where the big, heavy red wines sit. These are your Cabinet Sauvignons, Pinot Noirs and Merlots. Once you taste and experience wines at all points on the scale, you are then far better equipped to really know what type of wine you truly like best and what wine might be better suited for you and your guests for a particular meal.

One thing is certain - you will never know what a Pinot Noir tastes like unless and until you taste it yourself. It doesn't matter whether Wine Spectator rates a wine a 95 if you have no appreciation for the difference between White Zinfandel and Zinfandel.

Free your mind and your taste buds will follow, the kingdom of happiness will follow. Enjoy a bottle for me this week.

Feb. 26, 2001