Choosing the Right Wine for You
National Drink Wine Day is here! There is no need to celebrate this differently than any other day, but someone created a holiday and it is up to avid and sporadic wine drinkers to take up their glasses for this new tradition.
How does one choose the good wine from the regular, overrated, overpriced or even bad wine? There are a variety of factors that influence what makes one wine better than another but a lot is subjective, like art. Each person’s palate is different and consequently so are their preferences in wine.
To help find one’s preference the following distinctions can be helpful. Dry wines are not sweet and sweet wines are not dry but it is a whole spectrum, semi sweet is in between. Acidity in wine produces tartness while low acidity wines tend to come out rounder or fuller. Most newcomers enjoy rosé or white, and work their way into some fuller bodied and more tannin-rich reds.
Knowing what one’s tastes are in food or drinks can be useful to apply to wine. Black coffee drinkers might enjoy tarter wine like Pinot Noir while cream and sugar in their coffee drinkers might opt for a sweeter wine like a Riesling.
Higher quality distinctions such as Organic and Biodynamic wines produce cleaner, more natural and authentic wines true to the history of the location. “Rooted in the concept of balance, sustainable viticulture aims to boost environmental quality, enhance grape quality, maintain economic viability and ensure quality of life for all actors within our world.” Deloach and Raymond Wines out of Napa Valley are a couple of incredible wineries that produce lovely wines using biodynamic farming.
Wine Spectactor uses a 100 point system to rate wine. Most wines in stores do not present a rating unless they are 85 or above, which is a mark of distinction. Any wine rated above 85 is a very good wine, but as mentioned it might be good, although not be to your taste. At the end of the day, experiment, try something new and enjoy the process. Cheers to good wine!
