Learning Wine

Ok I know that its summer and everyone is focused beer, but here’s something we can debate. What is the best why to learn wine? I friend of mine asked me how I learned, and my reply was, tasting. So my real question is the best method. A. Trying several of one type, so you can compare the differences in the same type. B. Trying several reds, wines, or sparkling together, so you can see the difference between types. Or C. I have no clue what I am talking about.
I feel to truly learn you should do both (not at the same time), but take notes, go back and compare and really learn. Which one should you do first?
Ok what is your favorite type? Do you prefer red or white?

Here’s another set of questions, when dinning do you choice your wine then your food, your food then wine, or you pick what you like of each and hope they go together. Do you ask your server for advice? Does it matter at all if your wine and food pare well?

I am a very active dinner. I ask my server their option. I want my food and drink to go well together. I feel all the following makes the experience better. I have taking this to the extreme from time to time. I sit down, tell the server how many courses I want, if I want wine, beer, or cocktail, and let them choice everything. I have been very lucky and found great servers, who fully enjoying doing it and I tip well for the trouble.

Sorry got off subject. I look forward hearing what you think about wine!!

Wow!!! Great Question...I can appreciate a great wine and understand what makes one better than the other...

But then again, I like my Bud Light as well as Dark Star Porter from BBC

As a chef, familiar with flavor profiles that I'm looking for; It's really hard to say

Most offerings seem to be dominated by our local "Big Brother in Booze" otherwise known as Brown-Forman

Drinking wine is a very subjective thing...My take on drinking wine with food is kind of like eating a pickle that comes with most sandwiches.

That "vinegary" flavor somehow enhances that "tuna on rye"...

Don't be afraid to try things... There are are a lot of great wines out there that won't dent your pocketbook too much...

Go to one of the Better stores and ask any salesman..Trust me on this... "Wine Geeks" will seldom steer you in the wrong direction even though you don't understand what they are talking about!

That's what wine is all about...Just my opinion

Scott Harper offers an excellent wine course through Bellarmine. The classes are held in the evening upstairs at the Bristol on Bardstown road. I took one of these classes years ago, and it was fun and educational. Scott is probably the leading wine educator in this region. He and Robin Garr are the gurus around these parts. I think Bellarmine is registering for the summer courses now. You can probably get the info online from Bellarmine or the Bristol.

Another way to learn is to participate in online wine forums. Robin runs the Wineloverspage.com where very savvy wine lovers rub elbows with relative novices. There are also parts of the site that are geared toward the beginner, including educational courses. Robin is internationally known as a leading authority on wines.

Lastly, I would suggest drinking the stuff. There is no substitute for actual experience. L&N Wine Bar & Bistro is the best place in Louisville for this. Len is also a certified wine geek, and he has put together an ever evolving list of wines by the glass that allows a patron to compare and contrast different wines. I like to sit at the bar, order a flight of wines by the glass and swirl, sniff, and taste the nuances that make them different.

I hope you are a diner and not a dinner!
We started as novices, but after many trips to several countries and wine areas have true appreciation. The old rules about pairing are falling by the way. People can enjoy many different wines with food...or even enjoy wine on its own...gasp! A really great way to enjoy wine is a winemaker dinner. We've been on several Royal Caribbean cruises where they have a wine bar and some very nice tastings/flights. L&N does great flights as well, allowing you to to a vertical tasting if you wish. Wine festivals are great as well...though some can be overwhelming. Too many choices! Wine Spectator puts on a dandy one...about $200 a ticket, but you'll sample wines that are generally out of most peoples price range! Cincinnati has a very nice affordable wine festival. One of our favorites was in Lodi CA...the Lodi Spring Wine fest. Most people don't realize that Lodi produces more grapes than Napa and Sonoma combined. Because of the high real estate costs in the aforementioned valleys, Lodi has a plethora of wineries which range from rustic to majestic. We were stunned when visiting Berghold
http://www.bergholdvineyards.com/
You can fly SW to Sacramento and be in Lodi in 30 minutes. You won't have the attitude, crowds or expense there either.
Another fun wine event is the Int'l Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT.It runs about 8 weeks in the fall and is fun! They have major vintners from all over the world...we met Peter Mondavi once. The tasting events, such as seminars , are generally free, though you'll pay a small fee to taste food and wine around the park. Still. loads of fun. They offer winemaker dinners and other special events, check the web site.
Check with Doug up at St Matthews Wine Co. He knows his stuff and won't try to sell you just the most expensive, etc. He listens to those who travel and taste and goes out of his way to help you.
...as I'm typing this we are packing for a trip to Burgundy....woo woo!!

Just another note about the Food and Wine Fest at Epcot. They have many events that are aimed at educating wine consumers. They start as very basic food and wine pairing seminars where they discuss how to select wines to go with different foods and progress to 8 hour schools. We attended a Bordeaux school that was extremely educational. Of course they also have vertical tastings from many vintners as well as continuous open tastings. It certainly is an event worth considering for any one wanting to learn more about wine!

I think wine education comes down to geography and grape varietal. Therefore I suggest a step-wise process where you spend time focasing on a specific wine region, the grapes used in that region, and the resulting wines. Since it seems much of the world has been trying to out-do the French...I would (and I did) start reading and tasting wines from a specific region in France such as Bordeaux or the Rhone Valley. You can still fine good Bordeaux for $20-30 if you look hard as tasting examples. Tasting and pairing wine becomes more interesting IMO when you have a greater understanding of the geography, culture, and food of a specific region. Spend some time in each region and then move to another country such as Germany or Italy.

What you learn is that same grapes that make world-class Bordeaux make world class cabernet from Napa and so forth. Wine classes are a great way to get a head start because you can usually taste quite a bit of wine in a short span of time to educate your pallette.

Ultimately it can become an obsession...my wife used to complain when I'd creep in the house with bottles clinking together, "Not more wine?" We ran "out of room" in the basement celler years ago...time to expand!

However you approach it, good reference materials are an invaluable asset as well. I like Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia and the World Atlas of Wine.

Agreed. Good source of info, either hard copy or web-based is a handy tool to use.

I made the most progress identifying styles that I liked most, then moving through that style by region and sometimes $$$$'s for the real winners or the taste I leaned to. Then pick another style you like, move through it and then on.

Also, use your ears, if people keep talking about a type of wine or specific brand, give it a try.

Drink with others who are interested or are in the know, different people are stronger at tasting wine in their own way which may be different than yours. MOst of the flavors/profiles I've had trouble with were much, much clearer to me when drinking with someone who can identify it easily.

re Mark Head:

Some people collect Elvis plates, some collect wine. It is all relative.

Another note.. Don't be intimidated. All the hundreds of winery owners and wine makers I've met over the years are only too happy to talk about their product. They are some of the happiest people in the world! You will never stop learning. A wine that you loved in 05 will be considerably different in 08. It's a constantly changing and evolving thing. People who know wine and are very well read, etc also may enjoy something completely different and that is okay! It does take some time to develop a taste for the heavier reds and the dry babies. One great tasting I had was in Anderson Valley at the lovely Roederer Estate. I told the proprietor that I drank mostly reds and really did not have the palate for sparkling wines, which was all they were pouring. She did a vertical tasting of about 8 sparklers and by the end it was nirvana. We picked up 2 magnums that day and sat on them, only to find out that WS later gave them a 92 rating. Great buy!

However you approach it, good reference materials are an invaluable asset as well. I like Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia and the World Atlas of Wine.

Stephen another book that I really like is ‘What to Drink with What you Eat’ by Dornenburg and Page. The plus side of the book is they don’t just pare wine, they pare beer, water and coffee.

Another great way to try wines to find what you like is to check out your local wine retailer to see if they offer wine tastings. It is a nice way to go in and try several different styles of wine at one time. We usually do a monthly wine tasting on the second Thursday of each month, but we've suspended those while we are going through our construction pains and have very little parking. I pick 6-7 different wines per session, and will do either a theme, like picking a particular country, or all light summer wines, etc. I know there are many retailers in the area that offer wine tastings that you can check out.

I agree with you - tasting is the best way to learn. Your friend might consider some preliminary reading to help understand some of the wines to be tasted. Here are my suggestions:

1) Read this book:

Immer.jpg

Andrea Immer Robinson was the first American female Master Sommelier, and this book is a tremendous introduction to grape varieties, wines and wine regions of the world. It's written in a very approachable, conversational style and is easy to follow.

2) As Ron suggested, visit Robin Garr's Wineloverspage.com. There is plenty of information there. Sign up for the 30 Second Wine Advisor and you will receive emails from Robin several times per week with a brief essay on a single wine-related topic. There will usually be at least one wine tasting note. Because Robin is local and typically buys his wines at local outlets, you can find the wines he writes about, so you can taste along with him. (Note: he includes the price of the wine in each piece. If the wine price is an even dollar figure, chances are he got the wine at Gemelli - see # 5 below). There are over 100 Wine Advisor essays assembled in this recently published book:



3) Visit the Wine Library site daily. Here is a link: http://tv.winelibrary.com/. Gary Vaynerchuk runs The Wine Library, a retail wine shop in New Jersey, and he offers a daily, themed video blog where he tastes wines and offers his critique in a very casual, non-threatening way. Don't let the first 20 seconds of an episode turn you off (some say he's a little over-the-top in his intro). He is serious about wine and you can learn a lot by watching him evaluate them. Make sure you watch Episode 148 - it's a hoot.

4) Again, Ron's suggestion of seeking out a course by Scott Harper at The Bristol Bar and Grille is a good one. He now offers the non-credit, no grade, Bellarmine courses at the downtown Louisville Bristol (Main Street). We have taken a couple of them and they are fun. Expect 50+ folks in the classes and expect everyone to get happier as the night goes on. The next class is titled "The Wines of France", which starts June 2 and goes for 5 Mondays. Go to Bellarmine.edu and search on "wine".

5) Get yourself to Gemelli Wine Shop on Brownsboro Road. Evie Claire, the owner who is almost always there, is very knowledgeable and can guide you. She has a monthly tasting (limited to 16 people) at the shop. See http://www.gemelliwines.com

Have fun.

[Robin Garr]

I agree with you - tasting is the best way to learn. Your friend might consider some preliminary reading to help understand some of the wines to be tasted. Here are my suggestions:

Great advice, Jay, although I'm blushing at your words about my writings.

One more bullet point that I'd strongly advise (I think someone mentioned this above):

* Drop by L&N Wine Bar & Bistro every now and then. Whether you stay to dine or just drop in for a wine tasting, they make it really easy, with 100 wines available by the glass or small "tasting glass." Since the latter is only a couple of ounces and usually modestly priced, there's no better way to compare and contrast wines of interest, in a place where the staff can be very helpful about discussing them.

Ryana, Campbells Gourmet Cottage will be having a wine series starting in June. It is being taught by Jerry Rogers of Party Mart. He has done classes before for Campbells and is very knowledgeble. You can call Campbells for more information.

Though I much prefer drinking wine to reading about it, I've found one written guide that's a great complement to everything Robin produces. It's called "Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine : 108 Ingenious Shortcuts to Navigate the World of Wine with Confidence and Style"

http://www.amazon.com/Oldmans-Guide-Out ... 286&sr=1-1

But really, the best method is to have an open mind and try everything! For years, I said "I just don't like white wine" -- I guess because I consumed too many crappy Chardonnays -- but the inclusion of Sauvignon Blanc on some Sonoma tasting flights changed my mind fast. And remember, your tastes will change over time. That's what's so great about learning wine: a producer's wine, and your reaction to it, will change by year and even by day. Have fun!