![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I stopped at the wine & spirits shop today. It seemed like they must have just gotten in some new shipments. I browsed around the featured wines--there's a little description and review for each of the featured ones. I think I am learning wine language a little bit. Anything that says "tannic", "oaky", "dry", "semi-dry", or "acidic finish" is probably something I'm not going to like. Wines advertised as "light", "fruity", "smooth finish" are more likely to suit me.
Overall I am feeling a bit more competent in the wine realm. A tiny bit of knowledge goes a long way. I now feel like I can pick out something that I will probably like at least a little bit. I know which wines I generally like and can start extrapolating out from there.
I know I like dessert wines and sweet wines: muscat/moscato (white more than black, but both are good), white zinfandel, and of course ice wine, but that's really expensive. In general I've found I will probably like most anything pink. The white wines are a bit more confusing to me--a viognier is really nice, and I am pretty sure I like a riesling better than a chard, but I still need to do some exploring in this area--where does the pinot grigio fit in? The sauvignon blanc? I think I like gewürztraminer, based on one I tried at the ren faire, but I need to check that out. Reds are more intimidating, though I think I might like reds more than whites in general. I like a nice glass of merlot sometimes, and in general I think a sirah or a shiraz is a bad idea for me, but I need to figure out where to place the cabs, the pinot noir, etc. I am inclined to like fruit wines--the ren faire makes a nice apple wine, and I adore their raspberry honey mead--but those are so specific to the winery that you can't really generalize it. I need to get a better idea of what, in general, I like, so I can order it at a bar. Right now I know I am safe with a glass of white zin, but I also know that holding a glass of white zin makes me look like a total girl. I need to figure out what reds and white are going to appeal to me most. I feel up to the task.
Today I only did the most basic of explorations, though. I picked up a four-pack of the Sutter Home mini moscatos, because I like to grab one sometimes after work (the way normal people have a beer or something). I got a bottle of a moscato I had never seen before, and, knowing I like the Sutter Home white zin, I decided to try the Sutter Home white merlot. We'll see how that goes.
The wine & spirits store has signs up in the windows advertising weekly tastings (Thursday and Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons)--why didn't I notice that before? Will have to go sometime.
Overall I am feeling a bit more competent in the wine realm. A tiny bit of knowledge goes a long way. I now feel like I can pick out something that I will probably like at least a little bit. I know which wines I generally like and can start extrapolating out from there.
I know I like dessert wines and sweet wines: muscat/moscato (white more than black, but both are good), white zinfandel, and of course ice wine, but that's really expensive. In general I've found I will probably like most anything pink. The white wines are a bit more confusing to me--a viognier is really nice, and I am pretty sure I like a riesling better than a chard, but I still need to do some exploring in this area--where does the pinot grigio fit in? The sauvignon blanc? I think I like gewürztraminer, based on one I tried at the ren faire, but I need to check that out. Reds are more intimidating, though I think I might like reds more than whites in general. I like a nice glass of merlot sometimes, and in general I think a sirah or a shiraz is a bad idea for me, but I need to figure out where to place the cabs, the pinot noir, etc. I am inclined to like fruit wines--the ren faire makes a nice apple wine, and I adore their raspberry honey mead--but those are so specific to the winery that you can't really generalize it. I need to get a better idea of what, in general, I like, so I can order it at a bar. Right now I know I am safe with a glass of white zin, but I also know that holding a glass of white zin makes me look like a total girl. I need to figure out what reds and white are going to appeal to me most. I feel up to the task.
Today I only did the most basic of explorations, though. I picked up a four-pack of the Sutter Home mini moscatos, because I like to grab one sometimes after work (the way normal people have a beer or something). I got a bottle of a moscato I had never seen before, and, knowing I like the Sutter Home white zin, I decided to try the Sutter Home white merlot. We'll see how that goes.
The wine & spirits store has signs up in the windows advertising weekly tastings (Thursday and Friday evenings, Saturday afternoons)--why didn't I notice that before? Will have to go sometime.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 04:26 am (UTC)From:I think I need a wine icon.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 06:11 am (UTC)From:I'm surprised you like Merlot as I've found many of them to be too dry even for me. And I do like dry. I am after all, a Gin man.
But yeah. 95% of the time, if I'm in the mood for wine, I get a bottle of Sutter Home White Zin. I ARE SOO GAY!
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:41 pm (UTC)From:no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 02:02 pm (UTC)From:Pinot noir is softer and fruitier than a merlot, but it's one place where a price point can actually be a factor - since the grapes are really finicky to grow, good pinot noirs tend to be $30 a bottle and up. Cabernet sauvignon is big, butch, and tannic - perfect for steak and lamb, but if syrah/shiraz is not your thing, I'd avoid the cabs. (They really do taste like leather and black pepper!) For reds, you might try Cotes du Rhone, too - they can be quite velvety and smooth.
But really, go to the tastings, flirt a little with the staff, and that's way more fun than reading up. ;)
One thing that can also be a fun and less expensive way to try a bunch of stuff is to have a "flight party," where you pick a kind of wine (reisling, chard, whatever), set a price ceiling, and have everyone bring a different bottle from a different vineyard. Everybody gets to try a bunch of different kinds for the price of one bottle, and you get to have snax, too! (That's one big thing for me - a lot of wines, particularly reds, really need to be paired with food to have a good balance. A wine that's far too harsh all by itself can become expansive and generous with a mouthful of cheese or steak - fat is a powerful modifier of wine.)
Pardon for rambling on - I love wine and will (clearly!) natter on for ages about it. ;)
no subject
Date: 2008-09-15 03:42 pm (UTC)From: