How to Choose a Wine in 6 Steps
Don’t Be Scared to Get Your Head in the Wine Game
Deciding how to choose a wine can be intimidating, especially if you’re a novice who doesn’t know a Pinot Noir from a pineapple fruit bar.
Maybe you want to bring an excellent wine to your friend’s chill social gathering but you’re worried you’ll panic and just grab a pointlessly expensive bottle to avoid embarrassment.
That won’t be fun for your wallet and it might not even make for the right wine for the event. Instead you should be willing to ask for advice, learn what you like, and develop some rules of thumb to find the perfect wine for any occasion.
First, My Background Bona Fides
I used to be an occasional wine drinker if it was in front of me. I was mostly a beer and mixed drink type of person.
This was because I knew NOTHING about wine other than I thought I liked only cold, crisp white wine.
What even is a “dry wine?” It doesn’t feel dry if you spill it in your lap!
My old routine was:
1) Have a taste for wine.
2) Go to the store, look for the Sauvignon Blanc section and (GASP)…
3) Buy the one with the best looking wine label that also met my varying price point requirements for that week’s budget. If it had a higher alcohol content, that was a bonus.
A terrible habit I know.
I knew something had to change or else the wine police would get me and toss me in a prison made from empty Charles Shaw Crates.
Then I went to work for Whole Foods Market.
Working at WFM required LOTS of wine.
Beer was too heavy to drink after a long busy day and liquor was too much of a headache the next day.
But wine? For some reason wine went down easy and didn’t give me much of a headache.
I decided to take advantage of two perks that working at Whole Foods Market got you.
One was the 20% discount on everything. Yes, even liquor.
The other was access to knowledgeable specialty department team members.
Their selection of wine wasn’t too bad either!
I decided to seize the opportunity and began my journey into becoming a wine connoisseur.
These six steps helped me feel more confident, make better wine choices, and begin to appreciate wine for more than just a pretty label.
1. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Questions, Even If You Don’t Know The Lingo
Getting into wine can seem scary. People who know about wine can be rude to people who don’t know about wine.
They can be impatient, judgmental, intimidating, and downright aggressive about it.
Maybe they should have a glass to chill out!
I am sure if you are a wine neophyte like I was you have been subjected to the wine sneer. It’s the look you get when you ask for something cheap that tastes good.
I mean hey, if you DO NOT APPRECIATE a good $4.99 bottle of Barefoot Bubbly, that’s your problem you wine bully!
I was hesitant to ask what I should be drinking because I didn’t know the right words to describe what I liked.
Motivated by that 20% WFM discount, I decided to throw caution to the wind and come clean about my Barefoot Wine habit.
I narrowed down a list of wine words that I Googled in order to attempt to describe the notes in wine that I thought I liked.
I armed myself with these words and approached a wine department team member.
It turns out I was worried for nothing. There was no sneer and she introduced me to some great “New To Me” types of wine that I still favor to this day.
2. Find Yourself A Reliable Wine “Dealer”
I loved the specialty department at Whole Foods Market and found the staff approachable, knowledgeable, and shockingly budget conscious.
I promise this isn’t an ad, though it can be if Mr. Bezos wants to toss a couple million my way. I’m pretty sure he can afford it!
Anyway, they ultimately gave me the confidence to approach others about what I should be drinking.
Of course Whole Foods isn’t the only wine neophyte friendly place to learn.
Or at least it isn’t unless that Bezos check clears…
I have found other “dealers” that share the same, non-condescending approach to selling you the good stuff and really are interested in making you a wine lover.
You don’t have to look for the most expensive, fancy places to get good wine bottles or recommendations.
Even if you’re in the early stages of transitioning off the Barefoot & Charles Shaw, these places will help!
Here are a couple of wine shops in the Chicagoland area I recommend besides Whole Foods that aren’t going to judge you.
No sneer at these wine shops!
Taste Food & Wine ~ Rogers Park, Right Off The Jarvis Red Line Stop
The Wine Goddess ~ South Evanston
Schaefer’s Wine ~ Skokie, Illinois
Goddess & Grocer ~ Various Locations
I need to give a special shout out to Mary Kate’s wine bar. This is my go-to spot whenever I’m up at Eagle River in the Northwoods, and you should definitely stop by whenever you’re in the area.
You can research online for places near you. Be sure to check out reviews to see which ones specialize in recommending wine for people at the start of their wine journey.
3. Take Advantage Of The Kindness Of Others
We all have that wine enthusiast friend who likes wine and either knows about it or fakes it a lot better than you can.
In order not to waste any more money on bottles of wine I didn’t like and to save myself the shame, I started to ask my friends for “a sip” of their wine when we were out.
I would also ask them to describe why they liked it and to tell me about what they knew about the wine.
This was a great way to try tons of wines and to narrow down what I liked and didn’t like without spending any money!
Sorry friends, but you can feel good knowing you helped me achieve my wine dreams.
4. Keep A Wine Journal
Lame? Maybe.
Useful? Definitely.
I started to take pictures of the wine I bought and liked. I would make notes on them as far as cost, drinkability, flavors I picked up on, and even the level of hangover I had after drinking the whole bottle.
Whether it’s alcohol content, grape variety, or how you paired a certain wine with food the only way to learn what you, personally, enjoy.
These notes help when you DO meet that dealer who doesn’t judge you.
It can really help them pinpoint what you enjoy in a bottle of wine and then they can begin to help you broaden your horizons.
Even if you still don’t know the right words to put in your journal, the right wine specialists will appreciate your dedication to learning.
5. Learn Some Rules of Thumb
There are people who spend their entire lives becoming wine experts. You probably have other stuff going on.
Instead you can try to learn a few rules that can quickly get you most of the way towards the mastery you seek.
For example, you may have heard that you should pair white wines with fish and red wines with meat. While this is true in some cases, it isn’t really specific enough.
After all, it would be odd if steak tartare and a fried fish filet had the same pairings as a big hunk of steak and ceviche.
In reality, there are a variety of factors that lead to enjoyable possible pairings based on the texture and flavors of the food.
Yes, a light-bodied white wine tends to pair better with lighter dishes and a full-bodied red often pairs well with fatty foods a bold favors.
This guide from The Wine Cellar Group has some great diagrams to help you learn about what sorts of wines might pair well with different flavor profiles, like salty, sweet, and fatty.
For example, the guide points out that rose wines, as acidic wine with fruity favors, contrast well with salty cheeses, which is a wine selection tip that goes beyond “white fish, white wine red meat, red wine” idea.
White cheese, pink wine! Who would have known?
Now you do!
Once you have a sense of the types of wines and the types of flavor profiles, you can try some experiments and discover new pairings of your own.
You might even find that like some bolder wines or bitter wines or high-acidity wines that you wouldn’t have liked otherwise once you find the right pairing.
Write them down in your wine journal so you don’t forget which ones hit your taste buds right!
Along those lines, a decent bottle properly paired might be the perfect bottle for your social gathering even when you can afford more expensive wines.
By learning some basic rules like these, you’ll have the basis you need to expand your wine journey.
6. Get Yourself On The Guest List For Wine Tastings, Classes, Pairing Events, WHATEVER
I started saying YES to anything wine. I try as much wine as I possibly can.
I have gone to Napa Valley to visit one of my favorite uncles and explore the wineries.
I take advantage of the Bon Appetit Gourmet Food Festival as often as I can.
I sign up for wine dinners and wine themed cooking classes.
If you do not have access to these types of events, there are plenty of Youtube Videos that teach about wine.
You can order wine online AND there are a lot of Wine Classes you can buy to do online that are self guided.
A friend gifted me a great one for my birthday and I have since shared it with others.
There are even wine apps you can try that will help you choose wines in a variety of styles that meet your personal taste preferences.
These are six easy ways to begin. If you apply these tips, you too will feel confident to start exploring the wine aisle.
Tipsy has afforded me opportunities to engage in the wine learning process in a fun and FREE atmosphere and I am trying to take full advantage.
If you are new to wine, hopefully this helps you get started finding your new favorite wines.
Of course you can still just order the house wine or pick the prettiest looking label on the wine rack.
Now you’ll just have other options as well.
I will continue to share with you what I learn as I continue my wine journey.
Happy Drinking!
Looking for some recipes that you can cook with wine? These are all great options:
German Meatballs in a White Wine Caper Sauce
Easy One Pan Swiss Chicken Bake
