You don’t have to be a wealthy wine connoisseur or professional sommelier that brings their personal collection of glasses to a restaurant to appreciate or understand good wine. There are plenty of tasty wines that you can enjoy without draining your bank account and don’t come from a place called Boone’s Farm. When you become a more experienced wine drinker, you can worry about the differences between glass shape, bottle color, types of grapes, vineyards, vintage and things like that. The best wine is the one you will enjoy the most. Beginners should focus on the basics – color, smell, taste. Of course, you have to choose a wine first.
You don’t have to be a wealthy wine connoisseur or professional sommelier that brings their personal collection of glasses to a restaurant to appreciate or understand good wine. There are plenty of tasty wines that you can enjoy without draining your bank account and don’t come from a place called Boone’s Farm. When you become a more experienced wine drinker, you can worry about the differences between glass shape, bottle color, types of grapes, vineyards, vintage and things like that. The best wine is the one you will enjoy the most. Beginners should focus on the basics – color, smell, taste. Of course, you have to choose a wine first.
Choosing a Wine: red, white or blush?
The difference between red and white wine is the color of the grapes. White wines usually come from white grapes, while red wines come from black grapes. The inside of a grape is usually the same regardless of the skin color, so what makes a red wine red is the inclusion of the skin and bits of seeds and stem in the maceration process. During this process, tannins, coloring and flavor compounds are strained out of the freshly pressed grapes, skins, seeds and stems (also known as the must). Tannins are the bitter polyphenols that make you want to pucker up after a sip of red. So, as you can guess red wine tends to be a little more on the bitter side where white wine tends to be on the lighter side.
White wine is a great place for beginners to start. Whites may be easier on your palate because they lack the bitter tannins found in red wine. Good white wines to start with are the ever popular Chardonnay, a nice flowery and aromatic Riesling or bright, citrusy Sauvignon Blanc.
Good reds to start with are the lighter Pinot Noir with flavors of dark cherries and raspberries. Pinot Noir can sometimes be difficult to find in the under $20 price range. Smoking Loon out of California makes a decent Pinot Noir under $15. You might also try a heavier, drier Shiraz with notes of licorice. A very popular red wine for beginners is Beaujolais Nouveau, which is a sweet, fruity and young red wine that is meant to be consumed shortly after it is bottled. It only comes out once a year in November, so stock up next fall. Most seasoned wine drinkers tend to stay away from this one though.
Of course there are blush wines as well. Known for their pink color, blush wines (sometimes known as pink or rosé wines) are made with black grapes but the skins, seeds and stems are removed from the must much sooner than with reds. White Merlots or White Zinfandels are a good place to start with blush wines. However, most wine connoisseurs will tell you to stick with whites and reds because rosé wines often tend to be a little on the sticky sweet and syrupy side, although some can be quite dry.
Lastly, there are dessert wines, fortified wines and sparkling wines. Sparkling wines like Champagne, Asti, and Prosecco are great for making cocktails like, bellinis and mimosas or for celebrating. Dessert wines are so called because of their high sugar content and they do well to compliment cakes, chocolates and custardy desserts. Fortified wines like Port and Sherry are made by adding brandy or other spirits in fermentation. They keep for a long time.
Glasses:
Noobs don’t need to get caught up in the rigmarole of buying different glasses for different types of wine. You could drink wine out of a plastic cup, but for that more urbane look and feel, a nice set of all-purpose, clear wine glasses will do just fine. You can pick up a set at any local kitchen supply place. If you want something a lot more stylish and a little less breakable in the hands of drunks, check out the stemless glasses like those in the Riedel O Series (Google it).
Seeing, Smelling and Sipping
Seeing:
Fill a glass about half full with your vino. Hold your glass up to the light and look at the wine. That’s right, check it out. You will quickly learn that the terms red, white and pink do not nearly begin to cover what you will see. Red wines can be burgundy, brown, purple, ruby or fire engine red. Whites can be anywhere from amber or golden yellow to pale peach or even light green. Take a minute to appreciate the color. Is the wine glassy and clear or is it a little cloudy? A little cloudy is OK, but a lot of cloudiness could mean a spoiled bottle.
Now give your glass gentle swirl. Swirling isn’t pretentious and pointless showboating. Swirling will actually help you with two things. First swirling will allow you to check out the “legs” of the wine. The streams on the inside of the glass after a swirl are known as “legs,” and they will indicate the wines viscosity and body. Swirling will also help to open your wine up. By increasing the surface area of the wine you are allowing more oxygen in. This will help you with your next step, smelling.
Smelling:
Exposing your wine to oxygen in the swirling process will help you open up the wine and access the true aromas. Wine smells good, though it make take you a while to develop a descriptive vocabulary for explaining the scents to others. You could smell anything from ripe strawberries, to chocolate, to coffee, to roses, to leather, to pine cones, to honey, to musk to… well you get the idea. It is crazy to think it all came from grapes huh?
Why smell it? Because not only will this help you get a better grasp on what you are about to taste, but actually it will help you taste it. The nose and throat are just a short jaunt away from your tongue after all.
Sipping:
I know! After all the swirling and smelling you are just bubbling over with anticipation aren’t you? Go ahead, take a sip, but don’t swallow just yet. Get a basic idea of the taste then swish it around a little. Human tongues have tastes buds in different areas. In the front, your sweet taste buds, on the sides you have buds looking for sourness, in the middle they’re looking for saltiness and in the back they are on guard for bitterness. You also have taste buds on your soft palate, epiglottis, and upper esophagus.
You want to get all of those tastes buds working when you taste wine. You may even want to suck a little air into your mouth to further oxygenate the wine and bring out the flavors. Your sense of smell and sense of taste work pretty closely together in wine tasting.
The taste of the wine will change in different parts of your mouth. You could taste anything from melon, to pepper, to basil, to ivy, to orange peel, to… well, again, you get the idea. Is what you taste the same as what you smell? Sometimes wines smell like one thing and taste like another.
Another thing your mouth will tell you about the wine is its texture. Some are thin like water while others are thick and almost chewy or syrupy. Like in food, texture can be a big factor in deciding whether or not you like a wine.
There are many schools of thought on how to pair wines with foods. Generally white wines are paired with white meats like pork, poultry, and fish and white sauces like alfredo sauce or béchamel. This is because those foods often have more delicate flavors and because white wine is also often delicate it tends not to overshadow the tastes of the food. The same for red wines with red meats and sauces like beef, venison and tomato sauces.
Don’t let this rule of thumb bog you down. The best wine to go with your meal is the one you will enjoy the most. Personal taste accounts for a lot so don’t doubt yourself. White wine could go great with a pizza, depending on toppings and personal taste.
The bottom line is that everyone’s tastes are different. Something you love might be something your friend hates, the same goes for wine. Over time, you will learn what you like for drinking at a bar with friends, on a date, or serving at a dinner.
With wine tasting it is always good to keep an open mind, but if you don’t know, ask. Restaurants with good wine lists often train their wait staff to be able to recommend something you might like. Most wine shops in Richmond are staffed with really knowledgeable employees that can always help you with a suggestion or tips.
In fact there are several restaurants and wine shops that offer tastings and classes. So if you are eager to learn everything or just want to know enough to impress your friends, check out these spots:
River City Cellars/Secco Wine Bar
http://www.rivercitycellars.com
http://www.seccowinebar.com
2931 West Cary Street
Richmond, VA
(804) 355-1375
River City Cellars hosts a free wine tasting every Friday from 5-7pm.
Secco Wine bar is the RCC’s foray into the restaurant biz and it is quickly becoming a favorite after work spot for Richmonders. They have extensive list of wines mostly from Italy, France and Spain, but there are some Virginia wines and others as well. The menu is well organized and their staff is very knowledgeable. Most bottles are under $30.
Balliceaux
http://www.balliceauxrva.com
203 North Lombardy Street
Richmond, VA
(804) 355-3008
Balliceaux has an excellent wine list categorized not just by color, but by flavor. This wine list is organized perfectly for curious new wine drinkers and seasoned wine enthusiasts alike. Most bottles are under $40 and glasses are very reasonable.
Strawberry Street Café
www.strawberrystreetcafe.com
421 Strawberry Street
Richmond, VA
(804) 353-6860
Strawberry St. Café offers “Wine Flights,” for lunch and dinner. Each flight is under $10 and features a half glass of three different wines. You can choose from pre-designed flights or mix and match your own from their well rounded wine list. Most bottles are under $25.
Cafe Caturra
http://www.cafecaturra.com
5811 Grove Avenue
Richmond , VA
(804) 285-0690
Café Caturra has an extensive wine list featuring wines from all over the world at very reasonable prices. Most bottles are under $30.
Grape And Cheese
1531 West Main Street,
Richmond, VA
(804) 353-9463
Free wine tasting every Friday from 5:30-7:30pm
Once Upon a Vine
www.onceuponavine.us
4009 MacArthur Avenue
Richmond, VA
(804) 726-9463
Free wine tasting every Friday from 6-8pm
