"Life is too short to drink bad wine." --- Anonymous

Wine Tasting

A great way to get into the wine game is to invite the ladies over and have everyone bring a different variety. Varietals are wines made principally from one type of grape, like chardonnay (which incidentally is fabulous with popcorn). Assign each gal a type to bring that they’ve never tried before and drink up. A few hints for your tasting party:

Hold the glass by the stem to avoid warming the wine as it changes the characteristics.
Don’t be shy! Get your nose in there and smell, smell, smell. There is no wrong answer with wine as individuals pick up on different notes.
Don’t overfill the glass as it stifles the taste. Fill to no more than half way and give it room to breathe.
Take a small sip; hold it in your mouth, then suck in a breath of air. You’ll be amazed at how much of the flavour comes out in doing so.
Swirl your glass gently in a circle (also called “nosing”) as it let’s air in and enhances the flavour.
Don’t swirl your glass if you taste champagne or sparkling wine. It takes years to get the bubbles into it and about ten seconds to take them all out. Be gentle and hold your glass up to the light, bearing in mind that the smaller the bubbles the finer the taste.
Have a water station to wash out glasses between tastings and have a bowl of plain crackers available to cleanse pallets.
Remember to ignore the first sip. Whether it’s the gum you just swallowed or this morning’s toothpaste, the first sip of a wine is never really a good indicator. Roll the first swig around to coat your mouth and focus on the second sip to determine potential.
Remember 3 key phrases where wine is concerned: colour, opacity (think cloudy or translucent) and finish (or aftertaste). Hold the glass up to the light, make note of the features and discuss your findings -- voila, now you’re really tasting wine.

Wine at a Restaurant

Even the best of us get intimidated when they plop down the leather bound anthology of wine, but have no fear; even you can look like a connoisseur. Here are a few simple rules for choosing a bottle at a restaurant:

When the bottle comes, a nod of acknowledgement to confirm it’s the right label is more than sufficient. And there are no rules for who does the tasting. It’s normally whoever selected the wine, or whoever is the most comfortable with wine – it is not gender specific.
Ignore the cork. Don’t smell it or manhandle it. It’s not going to tell you much about the wine.
Ask for help. If you’re dining at a decent haunt the wait staff has been trained to assist you. If you find you’re getting attitude, a simple “what do you recommend with the fish?” will bring your sommelier back down to earth. And don’t be afraid to give a price range, it’ll help narrow down your choices.
Wave the wine list away. If you’re on a budget or concerned about all that heavy reading just ask for house wine all around. This particular wine has been chosen to represent, so if it comes from a box and tastes like grape Kool-Aid the restaurant should be ashamed – not you.
If the wine isn’t what you’d had in mind, just chalk it up to a learning experience. You cannot send it back unless it’s musty or smells like vinegar (then you’ve got oxidation on your hands).

Find Your Wine

Though it may feel a little overwhelming, the best way to find out what you like is to take your time. With more and more people jumping on the wino bandwagon, different variations are popping up on the market. Wine blends (think Cab Sav-Merlot) seem to be making a big resurgence, and are a way to try out fun and offbeat new flavours. Not to mention wines that seem to be making a comeback. The once stigma-laden rose (occasionally referred to as ‘cougar juice’) is gaining again in popularity and there are some fabulous blushes coming out of the Okanagan Valley.

If you’re still feeling lost then check out the German varieties Gewürztraminer or Ehrenfelser, which are sweeter, fruitier and historically very chick-friendly. For red fans, Pinot Noir and Shiraz have been holding top spots and are an excellent option, or if you’re just starting out a universally appealing and easy drinking red tends to be Cabernet Sauvignon. Whatever your vintage, wine is and has been for thousands of years the most social and satisfying thirst quencher out there. So take the opportunity to become an aficionado. There is so much more to learn about wine – and it is the kind of learning that is always worth it to the last drop.

GLOSS Wine Guide