Wine is not just a drink, it’s a lifestyle. If you want to propel yourself from a wine enthusiast to a wine connoisseur, sampling different wines is a great place to start. But it’s not all in the drinking – the Ideal Wine Company gives five easy steps to consider.
Learn the wine connoisseur language
Over the years, the global wine industry has developed its own language. Therefore, you need to get to grips with the terms and phrases associated with wine making, so you can understand what experts are talking about when discussing the intricacies of wine. Check out Ideal Wine Company’s Glossary Page, which lists the key wine terms and phrases you need to know.
Read the label
Put your knowledge to the test and learn how to read a wine label, as this supplies a wealth of information on the vintage. Armed with your wine terminology knowledge, you can use the bottle to find out where a wine is made, its quality, the types of grapes it includes and so much more!
Order by the glass
According to journalist Sara Williams, when drinking wine in a restaurant you should only order by the glass. By taking this approach instead of ordering by the bottle, Williams argues, you can “try wines made from different grapes, countries, and regions.” You can then compare these wines with ease, as you don’t have to make your way through whole bottles, allowing you to cultivate a greater knowledge of different wine-making traditions from around the planet.
Find out how to serve
It is key that you learn how to serve wine, to get the most out of your bottle. If you serve a wine at the wrong temperature, or in an inappropriate glass, you can damage its unique character, impacting its final taste. For instance, we’d suggest that you serve dessert wine chilled, in small measures and in a tall wide-brimmed traditional wine glass to fully appreciate this enchanting style of sweet wine.
Experiment
When it comes to learning about wine, there’s no substitute for experience. Take these first four tips and apply them to different wines, comparing and contrasting certain bottles so you can learn about various grapes, regions and wine making traditions. You could try the Chateau Ausone 1988 and the Chateau Pavie 1988 from Ideal Wine Company, to see how even two wine produced in the same region and year can provide very different drinking experiences!
