I had my first drink on my 21st birthday with my older brother. When we were growing up, I was more often the one to take the reins and exhibit older sibling characteristics, but in this he was intent to lead. I can’t remember what we drank, but I do remember that though it was a celebratory event it was also a teaching moment. One of those things a person feels compelled to do to ensure they did all they could to set another on a straight path. He told me to always order a glass of water with my drink and to never drink on an empty stomach, which, if you know me you already know is not a problem.
I was never one of those teenagers mystified or tempted by alcohol and I probably have my type A personality (aka strict rule follower) to thank for that. When I turned 21, I might occasionally have a glass of wine, but I still rarely drank. I didn’t really understand the appeal and this was mostly because I didn’t understand what it was I was drinking. We didn’t even serve alcohol at our wedding*.
*Note: We were 21 and 22 when we got married, so based on this previously relayed information you can understand why we didn’t really have a taste for the stuff yet.
When I became more interested in food*, I began to learn more about alcoholic beverages, specifically wine and the part it can play in complimenting a meal. I started going to local vineyards with friends and picked up nuggets of wine related information, from how the vines are grown to how corks are made.
*And this, in itself, is a completely separate post.
Until eventually wine became like food to me, something to explore. Something to appreciate. Something to study.
Once I discovered the Wine School of Philadelphia it only seemed right to take my interest in wine to another level by attending their Wine 101 class.
One of the first things the instructor said was to have a glass of water for every glass of wine you drink, and I couldn’t help but think of my brother in that moment and the level headed advice he gave me at such a young age*.
*He’s only two years older.
We tasted eight different wines, wines which were intentionally chosen as good wines which would not break the bank. Each was purchased from a local wine retailer and each bottle was priced between $15-25.
The best takeaway for me was the simple formula for tasting wine. The answer to What should I do? when sampling wine at a winery or a restaurant. It isn’t very difficult, and overall I knew what to do but always loused up the order of things. If you can remember these five ‘S’ words, you’ll remember how to sample a wine:
- See
- Swirl
- Sniff
- Sip
- Savor
Of course, there are details to go with each of these letters which we learned about as the class kicked off with a sample of a classic Riesling. Ordinarily, I find Rieslings to be too sweet, but this was a dry Riesling and being that it was dry it lacked the residual sugar found in overly sweet wines*.
*I learned all that from the class. Don’t think I actually know for one second what I’m talking about on my own here.
We sampled a Chardonnay and for the first time I could understand what people mean when they describe Chardonnay as “buttery”. We sampled several reds and I found a new appreciation for Spanish wines.
Even better than learning how to taste wine was the explanation the instructor gave on how to purchase wine. It can be a bit overwhelming, especially when a store has a dozen different print outs telling you ratings and awards the wines they sell have won.
Ultimately, you’re looking for three things in buying a wine:
- Alcohol content- it should be around 12-14% (too high alcohol content is not necessarily a good thing where wine is concerned)
- Small location- you want to buy a bottle with a small region noted on it, otherwise it could mean the grapes came from many different areas instead of a single place
- Rakings- scores of 87 or higher from Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast
The more I learn about wine, the more I appreciate it. Too often the beauty is stolen from things like wine, craft beers, and other locally made spirits by those who abuse them. As for me, I’ll continue geeking out on Wine Spectator reviews and new local vineyards while ensuring I remain loyal to that final S of wine tasting.
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