Don't know your Pinot Noir from your Pinot Grigio? Here's how to get started.
How many times have you sat down at a restaurant with guests, perused the menu and left the wine list sitting, unopened, on the table?
Maybe you're worried that you don't have what it takes to select a wine everyone will enjoy. Perhaps you're in the dark about how much to spend -- you don't want to look cheap, but you don't want to be perceived as a snob. On top of that, you feel like you should pair certain wines with certain foods, but you're eating beef, while one guest opts for seafood, another for chicken and the other for salad.
You decide that picking the right wine is an impossible challenge. You're right, but don't worry. There's hope.
I began collecting wine about a decade ago with little experience, and I remember those feelings well. In fact, from time to time, I still have them. And when that feeling gets overwhelming, I remember one simple fact: Wine is just a beverage. (If it makes you feel better, so is Coca-Cola (KO), and that's made a lot of people more money than any wine ever will.)
Essence of Adventure
Yes, there is some mystique to wine, but that should make it fun. Think of a new bottle of wine as an adventure. Whether it's a $5 or $500 bottle, when the cork is pulled (or the cap unscrewed), it's a new experience.
The joy of drinking and appreciating wine is that it is an ever-evolving -- and personal -- process. My first rule in wine tasting and selection is never to be embarrassed about my tastes. After all, why drink it if you don't enjoy it? So, if you want to drink white wine with your prime beef or red wine with your flounder, knock yourself out. Don't let anyone tell you it's wrong. Wines span the color palette of taste.
