Thursday, October 26, 2006

Pick a region and explore

Here's a tip, one to help you get familiar with the varieties of wine there is to choose from: start with just one region in the world and explore the wineries and grapes of that region. For example, pick the California Central Coast region or wherever appeals to you. Visit your local BevMo and scan the red or white aisle and pick a few wines from that region. I like reds, so I'd pick a merlot, a cab, a pinot, and a zin. Over the next weeks, pop open a bottle and write down or remember what you liked best. If you really preferred one type of grape over the others - then venture outside the region. See if it sticks. Maybe you've found something special OR maybe you'll find you like that type of grape no matter the region.

Here's a good one from the Central Coast: Eberle Cabernet.

Next thing you know you'll be shopping for airfares on expedia.com and on your way to taste in person at your preferred region.

Friday, October 06, 2006

Where not to bother with wine

OK! I took one for the team. I went to lunch the other day at the Olive Garden - love the Toscana soup and salad for $5.95. While reading the menu I checked out the wine offering. There weren't any wines that caught my eye - however, this blog was fresh in my mind. I decided to conduct some research and gave the house red wine a try. It's a label that the restaurant manages, allegedly to compliment the Italian food they serve.

The waitress pulled out the cork with her hand by twisting the cork upward. She filled my glass to the tippy top so she could kill the bottle. Heh. And with that - any glimmer of hope that I might have had desolved. I lifted the glass carefully to my mouth. There was no way for me to smell the wine without spilling on myself. I took a sip, swallowed and wished I could get my $4.95 back. The wine was not pleasant. It was a .3 on the 5 point scale. It was flat, bitter, with an after taste like vinegar. And this is why it's not a surprise that wine doesn't taste good to many people. Choosing wine at a place like the Olive Garden is not recommended. It's a novelty for the restaurant. Their business is all-you-can eat pasta and mediocre sauce. Not wine. Save yourself the money - and wait til happy hour for your daily glass of wine. Don't drink at the Olive Garden.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

About the blogger


I don’t profess to be a wine expert. I’m an everyday wine enthusiast. I like the 2 buck chuck (sometimes) and I love so many more types of wine.

I was having dinner with a friend in New York, where a waiter embarrassed her over the way she went about tasting a bottle of wine at the table that it occurred to me how uncomfortable it can be to taste a bottle of wine. My friend just wanted the waiter to pour the wine and be on his way, but in her haste to sip the wine and nod that things were fine, the waiter presumed we didn’t know much about wine and made an off the cuff remark, “next time you should keep the wine glass on the table when you swirl.” My friend didn’t go through the typical ritual of tasting wine – and the waiter supposed we were out of our league. I was annoyed. So I decided that I would share with the Internet what I know (it’s not a whole lot, but it’s enough to give you the power to feel comfortable choosing wine at a restaurant or in a grocery store when there’s a sale.) I’ll share with you my top picks – hopefully, there is a BevMo in your neighborhood – I’ll refer to it a lot.
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