Let me say at the outset, if you’re not a wine drinker, I will likely sound like a total wine snob. If you’re an experienced wine drinker, then I am a rank amateur - so take everything with a grain of salt either way.
Tonight’s “dammit, the wine is too earthy for the shrimp” incident got me thinking about things and some rules/guidelines/ideas/whathaveyou.
1. If you have a wine you like, there is nothing wrong with sticking with it.
2. If you have a wine you like, but would like to try other things, a good sommelier is your best friend. You can tell them, “I like this. A lot. Because of these factors.” Based on that, they should be able to recommend other wines that you might like. A smaller wine shop is a great place to find someone like this. Total Wine is great if you know what you’re looking for, but if you’re looking to branch out, I still think a small, local shop is the way to go.
3. Hit the local vineyards and do the wine tastings! They’re not expensive and 9 times out of 10, you get a free wine glass out of the deal. No one gets hurt feelings if you hit a wine you don’t like in the process.
4. When you do wine tastings - take notes. Normally they’ll give you a list of what you’re being served and something to write with. When you’re done, you’ll have a MUCH better idea of what you do or don’t want to buy and why. You don’t have to “know” wines to take good notes - lord knows I don’t and I take a ton of notes. Earthy/peaty/mossy/oaky/deck-wine/crisp/smooth/fruity/sharp/cardboard/spicy/warm/makes-my-teeth-hurt-sweet/chocolatey/quiet, whatever. Things that will mean something to YOU.
5. When you take said notes, KEEP THEM. And then copy them to a freakin’ sticky note and put it on the bottles you buy so later you remember the characteristics of the wine. (This is a new rule for me, instituted tonight, as I now know that I picked the wrong white to go with the shrimp. Had I remembered how earthy this one was, I would have plucked another bottle out.)
6. These notes will serve you well later - many wines have a description on the back, and you will recognize properties from other wines you’ve tasted before. So, if you can’t find a friendly sommelier, you can start picking things out on your own.
7. Toss the rules of “white wine with X and red wine with Y” out the window. You will instinctively know what will go with what based on what YOU like. Tonight’s shrimp definitely needed a white wine. (Or a Zombie had I actually been in a Chinese restaurant, but sadly I don’t have the ingredients for it.) But if it had been shrimp fra diavolo, then I think red would have worked better.
8. If you wouldn’t drink a particular brand of wine, for the love of the gods, don’t cook with it. Crappy wine is still crappy wine, regardless of if it is has been cooked as part of your dinner or not. (Example: Cooking sherry. Ick. ICK. Get real sherry and cook with that. Trust me.)
9> ETA: Don’t be an impatient idiot like me and let the wine freaking BREATHE.
Lift your head, lift your head, Party on.
