Or stick it in an ice bucket.
Usually you only chill white wines. I’ve also been told it is a way to cover up the taste of not so great wines.
Absolutely one more vote for keeping a journal.
I had a little journal, the kind you find in wine shops or book stores, but I found it kind of a pain to work with, small little thing, had to hold the pages/book open while writing, yet still trying to observe and taste my wine.
So far the best way I’ve found to keep my notes is by using tasting sheets held in a nice big 3 ring binder.
(PDFs ahead.)
These are the sheets I use now, but I found these by De Long to be really easy to use when I first started getting serious with tasting and keeping notes.
Print a whole bunch, 3 hole punch them, and you’re good to go.
I will echo others in saying that taking tasting notes in whatever fashion you desire gives yourself an encyclopedia of knowledge.
Tasting notes are also very good for determining the differences in vintages between wines that you once liked, but may not like again.
Climate and vinification practices are supposed to be constants but they never are. Today’s Grand Cru can be tomorrow’s bargain buy, depending.
I would agree that the general rule of “drink what you like” always applies, but I’ve found that I have been able to move people into better wines than what they are accustomed to by getting them to try something different, yet comparable in price.
Riesling is usually a good first defence against White Zin drinkers.
I’m not a wine drinker (all tastes like bitter or dry grape juice to me) but I do work in the liquor industry and I am expected to know a wee bit about wine.
I usually point people after a “decent white” in the direction of Sauvignon Blancs from New Zealand (most wine in NZ comes from the Marlborough Region of the South Island, BTW); Oyster Bay and Overstone are two extremely popular brands.
Wirra Wirra “Church Block” is an excellent Australian red wine at around AUD$20/bottle; even I’ll drink it and 80% of the time I’d rather have soft drink in preference to wine.
For something a bit less pricey (both reds and whites), I tend to point people towards the Wolf Blass “Eaglehawk” range or the Jamieson’s Run wines.
Bear in mind these may not be available where you are, but if you’re ever in Australia you’ll have no trouble finding any of them at any half-decent bottleshop or liquor barn.
I have a couple of friends who are quite expert wine snobs. When I go to wineries with them they make comments so intelligent that we get to taste wines not on the counter. And the secret wines are way better.
The one thing that they have in common is that they both drink copious amounts of wine and have done for many years. So I think the trick is just to drink more, lots more…and for a long time.