How do you know?

[poncho]

With all the wines that are out today and with someone like me who is rather new to this, how do you know what wine is right for each occasion? Is it the look, the certain fruit of the wine, is there a certain taste that you are looking for? I have sooo many questions!! Where do I start.

[barnesy]

Poncho,

Welcome to the board. You have certainly come to the right place. The best place to start is to find a beginners guide to wine. There is a bookreview earlier in the Novice section of a book that may meet your needs. Wine for Dummies is also a good source. It was recommended to me, a fellow newcomer, and I learned a lot from it. Plus, just reading the old posts on this website will provide a lot of help, especially in the wine/food section. Enjoy wine, and don't let it overwelm you!

Barnesy

[mrdutton]

Please read as much as you can about wine.

However, the true test is your own palate.

Try many wines with many different foods.

If you wish, start out with some traditional combinations. Try French chablis with seafood, beaujolais or southern rhone with grilled foods, Bordeaux and other cabernet sauvignon with fatty, rich beef, pinot noir with leaner meats. Champagne or other sparkling wines with oysters on the half-shell..... and other seafood.

As an example, the 2000 Beaujolais is very fruity, and hardly dry - but not overly sweet. I've tried two: Georges Deboeuf and Maison Lamartine. Both have a lot of fruit on the nose and on the palate. But the finish has some very strong hints of banana. Now who would imagine such a thing.

Get ye to a wine shop, talk to the staff and then between yourself and them, find the wines you think you will like. Start in-expensive and work upward as you gain experience.

Some of those low cost wines are quite good, some of those expensive ones are not so good and some of those expensive ones are just wonderful. It all depends on your palate.

What I taste in a wine does not mean that you taste the same things....... so experiment!

[This message has been edited by mrdutton (edited 11-19-2000).]