Somehow, I have an appreciable knowledge of what I like in beer, and also in Scotch - to a lesser degree. But no one seems to care if you serve a lager with chicken wings or an ale with nachos.
Scotch is almost a no-brainer in that cheaper blends do in fact taste like cheaper blends. I know what I like in scotch and pairing with meals is never an issue.
The thing is though, at least where I live, there are not dozens, but hundreds of wines to choose from. I get the “white for chicken and fish, and red for beef” kinda theme. But apart from that I’m clueless. There are wines that range from $8 a bottle to hundreds of dollars a bottle.
But it’s not just price; there are grape types, and countries, and regions within countries, and vintage years, and…
Anyway, how do I avoid looking like an idiot if I order a Chardonnay with … I dunno catfish or something.
And to top it all off, I don’t even know if I can taste the difference between an $8 bottle and a $30 bottle. It’s one area where I wish I knew more, but don’t want to become a fucking wine snob. Is there a “Wine for Dummies” book perhaps?
ETA: Holy shit, so there is. Any other recommendations?
As to what to drink with what to eat, white with fish and red with meat isn’t bad. But really, it’s a question of what do you like to drink? Some people absolutely can’t stand white wine. If you’re one of them, and want to have a glass of rose or Pinot Noir instead, who am I to say that’s wrong? Do what you want. That said, the classic matches—pinot and salmon, Sauternes and fois gras, cab and steak—are classic for a reason.
About tasting the difference between expensive and not, don’t sweat it. If you follow the “how to taste wine” guide in any of the above books, you should be able to sense some differences. If you can’t, that’s fine too. (And a lot cheaper for your wallet.) Once you get above a certain price point—30-40 bucks comes to mind—price doesn’t equal quality so much as it equals rarity. As a rule of thumb, all else remaining equal, more expensive wine will: be more concentrated in flavor, yet have more different kinds of smells; taste more of it’s place (don’t worry about that until you get to those sections of the books dealing with terroir); and reward aging. Usually, price is a reflection of marketing and region. The same wine will usually be cheaper coming from Chile, Argentina, or South Africa, than it would if it came from Napa, Burgundy, or Bordeaux. Just how it goes. I’d recommend writing down what you smell, what you find you like, and what you don’t. Then, if you get bitten by the bug, find a good local wine shop/liquor store, and ask someone knowledgeable what they recommend, given the information you’d written.
Advice I heard on NPR recently:
Keep notes. Write down what you bought, what you ate it with, and what you thought. Include whatever details make sense to you, including what you served it with. Take pictures of the bottle, if it helps. I remember eating dinner at a friend’s house many years ago - after dinner and wine, he took our a diary, and asked us what we thought of the wine.
I’ll second the comment about finding a good wine shop. Actually, NPR seconded that, too. Find a shop where you can chat with the staff. Get to know them, and let them understand what you like and don’t like…as you figure it out. They’ll help. Then, over time, they’ll be able to lead you to new things to try. You may even get to the point where they clue you in when they have special deliveries, if they think it’s something you’ll enjoy.
I’m not a wine guy - I know I traditionally like dry white wine, or a mellow red. I went to an expensive restaurant the other night, and had the chef’s signature menu, complete with wine pairings. The wine often showed up before the food, and I took a sip to see what it was. I remember one that was way too sweet. I mean…I expected it to be a dessert wine, the way it tasted. But then they served the food with the course - Ceviche, clams, shrimp. Lots of things with a bitter note. The wine went with it soooo well.
It’s the first time I ever experienced the pairing really make a difference. I guess my point it…yeah. There’s a ton to learn.
White wine with fish and red with meat is really just a general guide, not a hard rule. My wife drinks ONLY reds, regardless of what she orders, but she knows enough about wines to pick a red that goes well with what she’s having. For that matter, so do I. I find most white wines boring or worse.
Living in Ontario, there’s a great feature at the LCBO. Head for the Vintages section, and set whatever you consider a reasonable price point for yourself. (Personally, I try to average no more than $15. per bottle.) The wines in the vintages section have been selected by a panel’s votes, and they do indeed tend to be quite special.
I also like to have at least two bottles open at the same time, so that I can compare and contrast. If you find something you really like, make a note of it somewhere.
Sadly, there’s a lot of bullshit and snobbery to ‘wine tasting’ that doesn’t need to be there. Sample, share, enjoy - that’s all you really need.
Another one: get to know one particular wine. It really doesn’t matter what it is; what matters is that you like it, you can afford it, and it’s readily available. Drink it enough that you know how it tastes.
Now, venture out from there. Go to your wine store, say “I like X, can you suggest something similar but not identical I might like?” Get that bottle, then think about the differences. Maybe open both bottles at the same time to compare and contrast. Soon enough, you’ll figure out that Wine 1 is a bit fruitier and reminds you of cherries. Wine 2 is dryer, and has that weird thing that makes you think of leather.
That’s how you train your palette. Just keep going after that, looking for similarities and differences between one wine and another.
We did an SDMB wine club series several years ago. Each week someone would suggest their favorite wine. Plus, there’s lots of good info in those threads from your local internet wine enthusiasts. Type this into google search: site:boards.straightdope.com intitle:“wine club”.
But basically, you’re going to drink a lot of wine. Probably best to start with one general area (say, CA wines) and get familiar with what’s available. Once you do that, it will be easier to move onto other wines.
Well, that’s the problem Le Ministre; there are hundreds of choices! Even in the vintage section there are hundreds of choices. I just went to the LCBO (Liquor Board of Ontario) website and performed a blank search for wines. The result was 11,066! If I sampled a bottle a week it would take me over 200 years to try them all. The choice for single malt scotches is 150. I would be more than willing to sacrifice 3 years trying them all.
For me, it doesn’t really work to learn about the different types and regions and grapes blah blah blah. For the most part, just I want wine that I like the taste of and I don’t care if it came from Marlborough, NZ or Rogue River, OR or Napa Valley, CA or Bordeaux, France.
So, first I tried to figure out what I don’t like, and the right vocabulary to describe it. If I was out with my parents and they ordered some wine, usually I would just talk to the wine steward. “There’s something sharp or sour about this wine, what do you call that?” “oh, that’s because its tannic.” (me to self: self, you don’t like “tannic”)
You don’t need to hesitate to talk with a wine steward or a good wine shop person, they want to sell you wine you like so you come back. Eventually, I was able to determine the right words to describe what I do and don’t like, and by using the right words, the wine shop guy or wine steward nearly always chooses me something I like a lot. It’s a myth you’re supposed to impress the wine steward with your phat knowledge. Modern wine stewards are usually enthusiastic about discussing the attributes of wine and love to educate.
For example, I like wines which are
Astringent (cleans the fat off your tongue); “berry” or “fruit” or “chocolate” flavors; “big” or “round” (have a strong unsubtle flavor)
but are NOT
Tannic (sour/acid); syrupy (texture is more thick); mineral; or overtly sweet.
I may be a bit of a simpleton in terms of my taste, but I know how to get what I like.
The LCBO also offers classes at some of their locations. There used to be one here, but then they built a fancy new store with more square footage for product, but no kitchen for demos
Back when they were available here, I went to a few “tutored tastings”. They also had wine appreciation courses that took place one night a week over the course of a month. I am really bummed that they don’t offer it here any more.
Go to wine tastings. They’re awesome for learning about wines. Someone who knows about wines will select the brands for you to try and will explain the difference between them.
There’s also tastings where they pair food with wine. So you’ll eat cheese with six different wine brands.
If you don’t drink wine everyday, then tastings can be better than trying things out bottle by bottle. Because bottles are expensive and last a long time, and you will be anxious to try as many different flavors as possible to see what you like.
Google your locations plus “wine tasting” to see what’s out there.
I really like this book. I don’t know who the author is outside of the book, but he gives good, basic advice and suggests low to moderate priced wines in all the categories.
Then take what sounds interesting and try the options available yo you. Take notes, and eventually you’ll figure out that you like spicy reds, or grassy, acidic whites, or whatever. Wine bars, by-the-glass lists at restaurants, and tastings at wine stores let you try things for less than the price (and less risk) than buying a bottle
Wine tastings are what I’ve used for my wine knowledge. It’s definitely important to take notes on what you like and didn’t like.
There’s some vocabulary you’ll need to learn in describing the flavor of wines. I’m pretty weak on the vocabulary, so I can run into problems where I know what I like but can’t describe it very well. Fortunately, I’ve discovered that asking for a Merlot that isn’t too dry will get me something I can enjoy. Or a dry Chardonnay with strong oak flavors.
On the other hand, learning about wines has taught me that what I really appreciate is beer and scotch.
