Things Learned About Buying Wine

This is part one of two parts on "things you learn about wine" as you get more experienced with the beverage. Part one here is concerned with buying wine; part two will be drinking wine. 

Price doesn't always equal quality

You know, sometimes it does, but sometimes not. The only thing guaranteed about paying a lot is that you get to show off. Certain wines have great "show-off-ability." Some of the wines people brag about online aren't really that good (IMO).

I will say as you go up in price, to a certain point, the percentage of very good wines at a price point will be higher. That is, (I'm making up the numbers here) if you find 20% of the wines at $10 to be good, you might find 50% at $20 or 75% at $50.  

 

Don't be persuaded by the visuals

Labels - Cute, colorful labels are there to draw your attention. It's no guarantee the wine is any better than the one in black and white. This doesn't mean the wine with a picture of a cute lab puppy won't be good, but don't buy the wine just because of that.

Shelf-talkers - Those little labels under the wine that say something like, "92 points!"  Ok, 92 points where? Wine Enthusiast magazine, for instance, gives out 90-plus point scores to just about everyone. There are lots of published "experts" giving out points. Also, was it 92 points on this vintage? Yeah, I've seen a glowing rating for a past vintage being used to sell the current one.

Location on the shelf - Check those bottom shelves for some hidden gems. Don't buy anything that's in the window where it gets direct light. Yes, I've seen this. Direct sunlight will kill a wine quickly.

 

Ask questions

If you're in a restaurant or a wine shop, you should ask questions. Even if you don't know much about wine, you can ask, "What's a good under $30 wine to go with pepperoni pizza?" or "What are your customers coming back and telling you they love?" If the sales person is recommending a certain wine ask they why.

 

Try something new

Don't get stuck in a Lodi zinfandel or a Spanish Rioja rut. Explore because maybe you'll find a new, favorite wine. If you only drink Napa cabernet guess what? There are other places making good cab! And Napa also makes other wines besides cabernet!

 

Keep enjoying those wines you love

Sure, it's good to try something new, but there's nothing wrong with the tried-and-true or the wines that hold a special meaning. Maybe you visited a winery where you had a memorable time with the winemaker. Drinking one of his/her wines brings back good memories and maybe puts a smile on your face.

 

Trust yourself

You know better than anyone else what you like. Yes, even that sommelier at the restaurant. Even if it's not highly rated, or it's from Virginia instead of California, or it's only $10. This doesn't mean don't try other stuff, but if you keep coming back to that sweet sparkling wine from Michigan, then so be it.