In most of the cases, wine is a factor which creates the difference between a good dinner party and a perfect dinner party. All those delicious cuisines accompanied by a good wine definitely makes the occasion memorable. The aroma and charisma of the wine lightens the entire atmosphere inside a room filling everyone with enthusiasm. A good wine is definitely a perfect ending for a perfect day. However, getting hold of a good wine is not that easy as it sounds. You can’t compare buying wine to any other item as in most of the other cases the options are limited, therefore you don’t face much problem during selection. But, the case with wine is different as you have a big world of wines with thousands of options and varieties to choose from, each one completely different from the other in terms of flavor, aroma, cost etc. Many a times you go by others opinion and end up with a wine that you don’t like. Therefore, you have to be a little careful while buying wine. The instructions given below can certainly help you in making your decision.
Complexity level: Moderate
Time required: 15-20 minutes to browse brands
Instructions:
1. Trust your senses:
- The first and the foremost principle that must be followed while buying wine is to follow your own senses and taste. That means, you must go for that variety which you like rather than recommended by someone else, as no one knows your preferences better than you.
- There is no guarantee that you will like any particular wine which the wine critics or your friends rave about.
- However, this does not imply that you must not try anything new. If you are willing to have some other wine then it is always recommended that never buy several bottles or the entire case in the very first chance. First of all, buy a single bottle and have a taste of it. If you like its taste then go for the entire case.
2. Learn from your past experiences and keep track of manufacturing procedure:
- It is said that you don’t learn that much from your victories than from your failures, and the saying goes well in the case of buying wines.
- Not many of us are aware of all the complicated procedures that are followed in the production of wine. The journey of wine from the wine yards to the wine cellar is rather very fascinating indeed. Try to discover the untold facts behind the wines and you will start appreciating it more.
3. Make an estimate of your requirements:
- It is very important to make an estimate of all your needs and requirements. This depends on many factors like how much wine you drink or whether you want to store wine for some years in the cellar etc.
- Also decide your budget before you go for actual shopping. This way you can make sure that you don’t run out of money when you need.
- Buying wine is a very fascinating task and it may happen that you buy wine more than what you need as it is much easier to buy a case of wine than to drink.
4. Selection of the wine shop:
- Almost half of your problems will be solved if you have identified a good wine shop. In early days, wine was available only at the traditional fine-wine merchant. But the situation has been changed drastically during the past decades.
- Now wine is available from upscale supermarkets to chain stores which provides a dazzling collection of wines at your disposal. The growing competition in this field has brought several advantages to the consumers. You can easily get discounts on your favorite brands.
- If the retailer is well-informed then he can definitely help you in making your decision.
Frequently asked questions:
What types of glasses are used for serving wine?
In most of the cases, a bigger bowl is used for serving red wine as it provides sufficient amount of room for the aeration of the wine. Also, it’s a tradition to swirl the glass while drinking red wine. The bowl also provides space for this purpose. As far as white wine is concerned, smaller bowls are employed so that the wine remains cool. However, if you are using the same kind of glass for both the purposes then also there is no harm.
Quick tips:
- Do not buy wine just by the recommendation of your friends. Always follow the golden rule “first taste and then buy”, and you will never get deceived.
- If you really want to enjoy wine then do not stick to any particular flavor while it’s better to diversify your collection.
Things to watch out for:
- Light and heat are enemies of wine, so make sure that you go for shopping on that store which stores wines in cool and dark places.
- Also make sure that the bottle is properly closed, and there is no leakage through the stopping cork.
