How Do You Shop For a Bottle of Wine?

  The way you buy wine has probably changed over the years. At one time, you likely relied on the opinions of knowledgeable friends or a sales person at a wine shop. Now it's more likely to be "internet people."

  First, when choosing, you want to set a price range you're willing to pay. For example, "I don't want any ten dollar crap, but I won't go over $40." Some people care more about quality and maybe wine scores than they do value.

  Then it's your preferences. Are there any particular kinds of wines you want or don't want? Such as, "I prefer a French white; I don't want a California chardonnay."

  Next is your usage. Is it to go in the cellar and age? Is it for tonight's dinner? The latter is much more likely. You want to look at what you're having for dinner, but more importantly, what do you and the others at dinner like? If your aunt hates heavy reds, then don't bother with a cabernet even though you think it's the perfect choice for the meal.

  The part about knowing your needs first has always been the same. The method of choosing a bottle is what has changed because we now have the internet and it's available everywhere. Instead of going into the store with no idea of what you want, you can research various websites like winemag.com (professional) and cellartracker.com (amateur) or simply Google "best russian river pinot noir for $40." The store you shop might even have their current inventory online, so you can pick your wine before even entering. Once you are in a wine shop, you might see an interesting bottle and look up reviews while shopping.

  You have to admit, that's a lot different from buying a bottle 30 years ago. The question being, is this better than talking to a knowledgeable person with the give and take that comes from a live conversation? Is it better to ask Google or the store's wine person, "What's the best chardonnay I can get for $30 that will go with swordfish cooked in butter with rice and asparagus?"

  Using the internet to find the wine you want is great, as long as you can actually find the wine in your local store. On the other side, using only one person's judgement about what you should get is limiting.

  My advice would be to do internet sleuthing beforehand, then go into a store with a good idea of the sort of wine you want. If you get to converse with the retail salesperson, you'll be able to ask better questions.

Okay, this might take awhile  LOL