Wine Information

Wine tasting...how do you know what's good or what's not?

I honestly don't have a damn clue. Because of the alcohol, all wines have tasted terrible to me for a long time. I have begun to tolerate the alcohol now, but now I can't really tell what really tastes "good" and what doesn't. Should there be something I am looking for? If I look too hard, will I just be forcing myself to like a wine that everyone likes? What if I end up liking a wine that's just plain corked and digusting? I have tasted many wines, and I really don't get how people get the pleasure out of tasting wine. I can see how people are fascinated by the contrasts of tastes but I don't see how it can bring pleasure in "tasting good" in the conventional sort of way. Am I missing something or is Wine tasting just one big snobby phony self-fulfilled illusion?

Public Comments

1. I enjoy wine and have learnt the difference by experience. My advice is if you dont like wine, dont drink it, there are pleant of other drinks out there. There is also a range of non-alc wines you could try.
2. If you like it, with the food you are eating, it is good. If you don't, it isn't. Simple as that. Note "with the food you are eating". A robust red with fillet of sole or a delicate white with a garlic-tomato-beef dish wouldn't be "good" to most people. Some people don't like licorice candy. Some don't like lima beans. Some don't like liver and onions. Some don't like wine. Don't force yourself.
3. I have to pee
4. Wine tasting can be snobbery. i ahve been seriously tasting for 25 years and I am just getting the hang of it. i look for a variety of tastes that I enjoy. i do not want my reds heavy with tannins, as that affects the flavor, not do I want them too heavy. Whites need a good after-taste and not fade away or taste like rubbing alcohol. The only way to find out is to get out there and taste
5. Let face it, you don't like wine. If you did you would have found a favorite by now, without all the grief you seem to be going through. If you have to serve wine at a dinner party and don't have a clue, go to a good wine (liquor) store and just ask the sales person. In the larger chain stores they don"t seem to have a clue (like yourself), but the smaller stores usually know their wines. I guess fine wine tasting is as important to some as fishing, golfing, knitting, etc is to the persons who enjoy it.
6. Some people just don't like them. If you're starting with tastings, you're making it hard on yourself. In general, wines are meant to be drunk with food and complement the meal. Half the pleasure in a tasting is imagining how they'll fit with food, even if the food is imaginary. For instance, I don't get a big thrill out of most chardonnays unless I'm in the mood and eating something buttery. On the other hand, it doesn't take much arm-twisting to get me to try an Alsatian riesling. The reds tend to be even more food-oriented. The big reds especially need something to work with the tannins, so somebody making ooh's and aah's about a barolo or claret is probably imagining how what's in his nose and mouth fits with a steak just off the grill.
7. Experience. Your palette. Tasting good wines and bad wines. And no, it isn't just a hoax to fool you. There are reasons why millions of people enjoy wines. If you never can enjoy it, well, that's your palette.
8. why force yourself to tolerate alcohol, if you really don't like the taste ?? many people enjoy tasting & experimenting different wines, you are not one of them, i am sure, there are other hobbies for you out there, that don't involve alcohol.
9. The judgment that a wine is good or not is totally up to each person's tastes. If you have tasted a variety of different types of wine, and don't like wine....then wine just may not be the drink for you. I enjoy wine, but there are things that people enjoy that I don't. For example, I can't stand coffee. It seems like so many people love coffee and I have tried to like it....but have concluded that coffee just is not for me. I don't think that makes coffee drinkers "snobs". Let's appreciate the fact that everyone is unique and has different opinions and tastes.
10. Many people taste wines for several different reasons, ranging from a cheep drunk to people seriously looking for wines to populate their wine cellars that they can share with friends. As for being self-fulfilling, you need to ask yourself how many chances do you get to live your life -- If it is not self-fulfilling than it is most likely a waste of time? We chose things that we enjoy as pastimes and there are many diverse things we could do, so if tasting wine is not yours, please go find something that is and enjoy life.
11. I just go with my instinct. I know how a sweet wine will taste. The really sweet ones would be Niagara for the white, or Concord for the red. Wines that use other fruits in them are a good choice too. You still have the grape flavor, but you also have the cherry, apple, pear, raspberry, blackberry and blueberry flavor. But, you need to like fruit in the first place, or wine drinking is of no use to you. If you have tried wines, and simply cannot stomach them, quit. You may be a beer drinker, or a hard liquor drinker. Then again, you simply may not be able to tolerate alcohol in way shape or form. If that's the case, it's better for you.
12. It's a matter of taste ... be honest with yourself and others about what tastes good to you ( or not ). By the way .... about 50% of the time less expensive wines will have a better bouquet and taste better than more expensive ones.
13. OK for me, its all about taste, (REDS)not what others say so,my suggestion is this buy a $15-$30 bottle when its on sale and/or at BEV-MO when the ranked high and buy 1 get the next for 5 cents sale is on. Taste them with your friends and see if you like them. Remember cheaper wines seem to give big headaches Really it always come down to you own taste-exspensive or not it what you like..i have had old $100-$300 dollars wine that I didn't like, some I did however that is OK.