another new wine lover, looking for more to love

[Wine-O]

While I am not new to drinking wine I am new to finally appreciating it. Like a fine wine I'm maturing with age! okay bad joke. Anyway, I really would like to be able to know more about wines and at least be able to walk into a wine store and know a thing or two when picking one out rather then just knowing if I'm looking for a red, white, or pink. I've started reading "Wine for Dummies" and it's packed with information and I'm only on Chapter 3! I can see I have barely begun to scratch the surface. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed and I'm looking for someone to maybe point me in the right direction into become the "wine snob" my friends claim I want to be! :-)

[Innkeeper]

Hi Wine-O, and are warm welcome to the Wine Board. If anythings is more comfortable that "Dummies" is has to be Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple." I use it all the time after having read it in one sitting. Right now I'm more slowly wadding through her new book, "Great Tastes Made Simple."

[Auburnwine]

Practice! Practice! Practice!

Find other like minded souls to taste wine with (there's probably a wine club in your area). Discuss what you like and don't like. Take notes.

Maybe take a wine tasting course at a local university.

Go to wine tastings where you have an opportunity to test a cross-section.

Drink a wide array of varietals and blends to find what you like and don't like.

[Wine-O]

Thank you for your replys. This is a great site. I'm sure I'll be coming to you for more advice as you seem to know quite alot about wines from all the replys I have read on here. Anyother advice PLEASE PLEASE send it my way!

[joeyz6]

Hi Wine-O. I've learned a bunch from visiting wineries, as you can taste a bunch of wines one after another and compare them.

[Kcwhippet]

Milton, MA is not in an area with lots of wineries, though there are some nearby. Try visiting the Westport Rivers Winery in Westport. Nothing else in MA is worth the visit if you're looking for decent wines. For a nice weekend trip, take the ferry from New London to the North Fork of Long Island. There are about 20 wineries there now and they're starting to make some good wines. You're fortunate to live where you do because almost all the wine shops in MA have in store tastings on Saturdays. Visit your local shops and find out their schedules. It's a great way to taste a variety of good wines (for free) and learn more about them. Also, sign up for all the shops newletters. They give tasting schedules and the wines that are on sale each month. Wine shops in MA also discount full case purchases (straight or mixed) from 10% to 25%. If you hear of a wine you want and your favorite store doesn't have it, ask the manager to look it up in the Mass. Beverage Journal which has the portfolios of all the importers and distributors in the state. If it's in the book, they can get it for you. Enjoy.

[wondersofwine]

I like the idea of the Massachusetts Beverage Journal. My usual wine shop is trying to talk to the Deloach distributor in North Carolina to see if they can get some single vineyard zinfandels for me but it seems to be slow going on any special orders.