Wine Information

I want to get into wine tasting, any suggestions. How do I start???

I have always been interested in wine. Whats good or bad. Sweet or Sour. How to go on a wine tasting. How to buy wine. How to open it. What occasions to drink it. anyhting and everything

Public Comments

1. Most community colleges have a wine appreciation class. Check one out and learn!
2. Most wineries offer wine tastings. See what your region has to offer.
3. well thats too much to answer here but refer to the beverage book and attend a wine training and appreciation class. the first rule is what u like is the best wine. it is not necessary that the expensive the wine the better it will be. using a clean glass pour a little wine(5ml) and swirl it around.(dont spill haan). then poke ur nose in the glass and take a deep breath. u will get a flavour and your senses will be ready for the wine. now take a sip and swirl it in ur mouth(as u do while brushing), now let the wine settle below ur tongue and suck in air thru ur mouth over the wine.this will give u an idea abt the alcohol in the wine. now gulp it and enjoy the taste. remember the best wine is the wine u like not wat othes recommend. so xplore n enjoy.
4. Wine for Dummies is actually a respectable resource. Also, check out blog below, there is a lot of basic wine info.
5. Two things to keep in mind. 1) Taste is very personal, so you should focus on what you like. not the snobs, the salesman or the price. 2) Find the people or classes to do a "Component Tasting" to clearly establish the basic stimulants in the wines so as to identify them when you taste the wine. Component tasting by itself is not exactly fun in itself but it's the best foundation to have before going into wine tastings. It's like learning the alphabets before you get to the words and sentences. Makes sense? BTW, wine is kinda like people. Just when you think you got it figured out, they change! A great wine is ecstasy, but even the bad ones are still good for some occasions. :-) Cheers
6. I think going to a guided tasting is a great way to get into wine tasting. These are usually held at local colleges, wineries or wine bars and restaurants. Wine bars will often advertise upcoming events, or offer 'flights' of different wines suitable for tasting regularly. If you're really new, take a friend or two that know a lot about wine already, and who's tastes you trust. That way when they talk about what tastes/smells they find, you can play along and try to find the same things. This doesn't mean you'll necessarily like/dislike the same wines -- just that you'll be able to look for subtleties in the wine that you wouldn't normally know to look out for. As for how to buy it -- I recommend going on a tour of the local wine region near you. Taste through the wines each winery has to offer, and then only buy the ones you like!