ok, jubilada. I know. But a sip is worth a thousand words. At least.

Tomsd: Not sure why you think Hess Select has dumbed down, if anything, just the opposite. Hess Select Chardonnay carries a Monterey appellation and largely comes from the same Shirtail Creek vineyard it has for many years. Hess Cabs from the North Coast, especially the 2009 vintage, are better than ever. New this summer are a Pinot Noir and a red blend (name yet to be determined) and some package updates, including a screw-cap for the Sauvignon Blanc that is on store shelves now. I'd love to hear why you think something has changed. Drop me a line at [email protected] with your insights, always value what people are thinking.

MP413: you know far more than you think you do. Experience...yep, drinking more wine, a tough task, eh?...will allow you to learn what you like and don't like, and that's entirely personal, and entirely learned on a personal basis. Don't let anybody intimidate you...this is a beverage, just enjoy the ride.

Did anyone watch James May's Road Trip(s) on BBC America? (James May is one of the Top Gear hosts and is a dedicated beer drinker.His goal was to find a nice red wine to drink with the Sunday roast.)

In the first season, he went of a month-long tour of French vineyards with Oz Clarke, a wine expert. Very funny, with lots of "true wine facts" too!

They went to California in a susequent season.

Wow, I am so thrilled to have (finally) provoked such a great discussion on the forum! How fun Lots of great advice, from different perspectives, which is exactly what I was hoping for.

I do totally agree that trial and error is a major part of it, especially with pairings. Have a dish with the wrong wine and you can taste it right away, the wine either kills it or makes it taste better!

I also agree that the snobbery element needs to be taken out of the equation - as many of you said, drink what you like is the entire point!

That said: my boyfriend and his entire family are major wine enthusiasts - naturally, they're from the Western Cape - and so wine tasting is a major part of the lifestyle. And I can't keep up. The other day we went to a really wonderful vineyard (La Motte in Franschoek) and I felt kind of left out, not at all b/c they're snobs but b/c I just don't have the same capacity to identify what makes a wine good.

Unfortunately I live in Africa so all your references to Trader Joe's and weekend tastings is falling on VERY jealous, but deaf ears! I can get wine, but it's like $20 for what would be a $3 wine back home (par exemple, Baron Lestac! blech). So I don't get as much chance to "practice" as I'd like.

In any case, thanks so much for the encouraging words. I come away from this feeling like there is some hope, though I also gather that I might never be able to "get it" the way some people seem to effortlessly.

Nazdravi!

mp413

Developing a palate for and knowledge of wine takes time. And it doesn't happen for everyone--we had a Christian Brother friend who got a Ph.D. in physics with the aim of being put in charge of the Brothers' wineries in the Napa Valley. Unfotunately, he discovered that he did not have a good palate for wines and instead turned to teaching at one of the order's colleges, first in Bethlehem and then in California.

If French wines interest you, try to find a copy of Frederic Wildman's excellent book on the subject, originally published as a long series in the once-great "Gourmet" magazine.

"I was noting to people at lunch today, that people take food and wine too damn seriously. The language of acceptance and rejection is filled rigid terms and squeezes the joy out of it and just leaves the pretense."-------This was a point I was trying to make on another thread, Adu, but about art, if I remember.

mp413, I agree with Adu so much on this and even took a wine-tasting course where the teacher, a vintner himself, said "Drink what you darned well please!" That being said, we did sample wines from different areas and were taught how the tasters taste, sending the whole ting back if the cork is dry (red wine), and it was interesting. So nothing wrong with learning about wines, eh?

Then DH (rip) and I were treated to a loooong dinner where a different vintner paired his wines with all of the courses and OMG-it was amazing. So, if a place has a long list, I suggest asking the wine person what s/he suggests. Otherwise, get what suits you.

Cork or screw top?

That's actually funny AND true. The fake corks and screw tops are coming into use because of cork shortage. Going to have to change a whole of of stuff, eh?

Always cork, of course..Screw top are for cheap wines..although that lately I have seen some decent wines with screw top..

Screw top takes away the ritual of opening a good bottle of wine.

Screw tops and synthetic corks are becoming more common on wines at a variety of price points, not because of a cork shortage, but because they work. Yes, I miss the ritual when a wine has a screw top, but have also had the misfortune of opening corked wine and talked to winemakers who have experienced large losses due to corked wine.

mp413:

Here are the three things that wine "tasters" usually do:

1) The sight test: Hold the glass up to the light and look at it (if you want to play wine snob, say something like "Look at that gorgeous color!") - with red wines, you'll soon learn that the color differs for different red wines - a California cabernet sauvignon, for example, has such a dense red color you can't see the light through it. The same for the whites - some whites tend to be more golden than others.

2) Next comes the sniff test - that's where the "cherries, buttery, oaky" comes in - the way to really sniff is to plunge your entire nose into the wine glass - yep, don't be shy! Plunge in and take a BIG whiff. ("My! what a complex wine!" You haven't said anything about what you're smelling, but you'll see heads nodding in agreement.)

3) The taste test: next thing is to sip a small bit of wine and park it under your tongue. ("Would you say this has a hint of raspberry in it?" or "This is a bit too oaky for me")

Et voila! you are now a wine "expert"! Enjoy!

I LOVE the screw top and hope all wines go that way!!! I am one who could drink cheap or expensive wines and find little difference in taste. I like white only with ice please. I also like the pinot grigios because they tend to be lighter and still flavorful. I don't really care if that means I can't be a wine connossior (can't spell), but I drink what I like. I find some very good wines that cost in the 8-15 dollar range and am happy. Under 8 is a little too sweet sometimes and not as good.

Kismet u are missing out on good wines! Twist tops are no longer a sign of an inferior wine. I like them better and they make more sense unless you keep wines for a few Yeats.

Yes kismet, you are behind the times. More synthetic closures and screw caps due to unreliable corks.

Easytraveler- add one more thing- the proper glass shape for the varietal. I never believed this until I attended a Riedel glass demo wine tasting.

Agree, drink what you like.

I like white wine, but hate drinking from the thinner shaped glass. I like the wider glass that is usually reserved for reds. Maybe it's because my nose bangs into the small glass and I guess I am not a sipper drinker..Oh well!

Now just look at what you started !
Yes you can learn it, at least maybe to a journeyman level.
Wine is made from grapes, different grapes therefore varietals and although a Sauvignon Blanc maybe different from France to Chile it still has the same basic character. Chardonnay, I don't even buy except for Chablis from France. Usually the difference is in the use of oak barrels for aging. Try tasting an oaked beside an unoaked and you will see the difference this makes.
Visiting wineries makes for such a nice travel experience too and educates oneself also about wine.
As for knowing what wine to order - hell I order what is reasonably priced ! One trick I learned is that Rose is quite versatile and pairs well with most foods, so does Beaujolais.
Stronger wines with stronger flavours. I think reds go better with cheese but for cheese fondue most experts say whites, perhaps its the tartness of the wine that offsets the richness of the cheese fondue ? Perhaps it's a regional thing ie Swiss whites with Swiss cheese fondue, Italian reds with Italian pasta, Australian Shiraz with Aussi lamb.
Anyhow, drink what you like especially if you are paying for it.

Hi mp,

>My question: is understanding wine a talent, like drawing, or is it something I can learn?<

Unfortunately, it is a God-given gift that only an elect few can learn.

They are given the ability to say things like "excellent wines with vibrant acidities that speak clearly and eloquently of their underlying terroirs. ...refreshing, energetic, balanced, fresh, intense, pure and racy middle weight wines that generally carry low alcoholic levels and display ample amounts of those ineffable qualities of tension and presence" or "pale, with the faintest greenish tint, and quite a classic nose, restrained, with lemon-edged chalky fruit. Fresh, quite a firm minerally and chalky seam, but with appealing texture as well. Nicely poised, quite firm,..".

Let's face it. Normal people don't talk like that.

However, if you feel that you might have what it takes to be a wine connoisseur, you cold look for a wine school near you.

For a good, basic education about wine, check out the wine courses offred on winespectator.com.

IME, the more you learn about wine the more you realize it's all up to you.

I prefer non-oaky whites and lighter reds. My biggest gripe is that the vast majority of whites are served too cold and reds too warm.

More and more wines are going to screw tops (which I like for travel) and synthetic corks (which I like for consistency).

This is one of my favorite everyday Pinot Grigios that has a screw top: http://www.worldmarket.com/product/i...ductId=3624219

It's about $10-12 bottle depending on where you buy.

I drink mostly French and Italian wines and lots of bubbly. However, some of my favorite Pinot Noirs are from Oregon and Washington.

You can learn. A few years ago I took an Introduction to Wines class at the Boston Center for Adult Education. It was taught by a wine buyer and each week for 8 weeks we covered a different party of the world and its wines. It's especially helpful to have 5 of 6 wines to taste one after the other, to help you differentiate on the spot.

He told us then, the only way you'll "learn" to identify wines by smell and taste is to, well, smell and taste them, a lot. WHAT A HARDSHIP! So I took a few specialized classes with him (Italian wines in depth) and I also go to a lot of wine tastings at better wine shops, where I can taste a lot without committing to buying something I am not sure I like. I talk to the buyers who are pouring there, get them to tell me what the varietals are, what they taste, and see what I can taste myself.

Over time, I can tell the difference between a pinot noir and a shiraz or a savignon blanc from a chardonnay, but also I am starting to taste the grapes in a blend. Once I know a grape I like, I look for it in wines when I shop. I'm more concerned about buying what I like, and maybe in new combinations with other grapes, and being able to pair a wine successfully with food, rather than being able to say "it's a hint of mineral earth and a touch of grapefruit."

So get out there and get tasting!