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| Which one do you choose? |
Choosing a wine may seem complicated. And it can be. There are books written about it, articles discussing it, and you can take wine classes on the topic. And like anything, you can overthink things, agonize over labels and appellations and aging and prices and other considerations. But ain't nobody got time for that. Choosing a wine can be simple once you understand a few basic questions:
1. Intention - why am I buying this? For what purpose?
2. Taste - what particular taste, if any, am I looking for?
3. Price - how much do I have to spend?
So speaking of intentions, there are generally two different "reasons" for getting wine - either you want to drink it soon (tonight over Netflix, or next week at a friend's, or five minutes from now in the parking lot of a suburban Chili's, etc) or you want to save it for the future (be it next year, or in twenty years.) Saving wines for the long-long-term future is a whole 'nother ball of wax, which I won't focus on here.
Choosing a Wine for Now
For Dinner
Let's say you are making dinner tonight and want to drink wine with your meal. Since you know that certain wines complement certain foods better than others, you know that you want to choose the best wine for the occasion.
This can be confusing and prone to overthinking; however, the great part about it is that it's hard to really screw up. The best place to start when choosing a wine is to work backwards. What food are you serving? Ideally, a wine should complement your dinner perfectly. Be thinking about tastes and textures. You want to strike a balance with your wine - you don't want the wine too strong and harsh that it overpowers the flavor of your food, but by the same token you don't want to choose something so delicate that your food masks the intricacies of a wine.
So this takes a bit of research - since you know what you're making, or what's being served if you're going out. White wines have typically paired well with fish (or some chicken dishes) because fish usually has a delicate flavor, and you'd want something equally delicate so you don't hide that fish flavor. Likewise, hearty Italian dishes like Bolognese or lasagna are flavorful and strong, and so having something powerful like a Merlot or a Chianti is a good choice.
Sweetness can also be a factor. Sweet wines like Gewurztraminer, Riesling, or Vouvray can work well with spicy dishes - again, with a balance. Personally, my favorite cuisine to cook is South Asian...Indian and Pakistani. Lots of super spicy flavors there, so generally I go with a tough red like Pinot Noir (or sometimes even a Pinot Grigio, if I'm making a more mellow dish like chicken tikka masala.) So it's all in the parity - if you're making a dish with delicate flavor, choose a more mellow wine. If your dinner is strong, hearty and spicy, you may want to kick your wine up a notch.
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| A grilled top sirloin with tarragon rice - and a balanced wine. |
At a Friend's House
So let's say you are invited to a friend's house for dinner. As an aspiring wine connoisseur, you debate bringing a bottle of wine. When choosing a wine to bring, a lot of folks just grab something relatively cheap. Which is generally fine, but you may want to think a little broader. Who is going to be there? What is going to be served? Is it held outside? Your choice of wine when attending a formal Christmas dinner is going to be different than if you're going to a 4th of July cookout.
When I am asked to come over for dinner, I usually bring a very approachable red wine. Because unless I know the menu ahead of time, or if I am cooking, it would be hard to accurately pair the wine with dinner. And I also don't want to overthink things. Instead, by choosing something enjoyable and neutral, I'm not at risk of clashing with the dinner. Good examples of go-to reds I have are Bordeaux, Tempranillo, and Beaujolais that are light, jammy, and generally go well with most any dish, and are also great with cheese and crackers. Also great on its own! These also make great wines to bring to holiday parties, or as gifts, since they are middle-of-the-road vintages that go well with most foods. They're also reasonably priced, around $12 or $13 for a good one.
Choosing a Wine for Later
Let's say you've got to the point where you want to stash a few bottles away for a rainy day. Or maybe you are looking to pick up some good bottles and save them for later, when they will be great bottles. Determining which bottles will seriously improve over time is very advanced and best left to wine professionals and sommeliers. I'm neither, but I have a great resource in friend and wine merchant Charles Bissell. An expert in wine, Charles recommends that when you are shopping for wine to save, your first question should be how long you want to save it for. Certain wines only age a couple of years before they're ready; some can last for decades. It's hard to tell with a lot of wine, and since neither you nor I are at that level, it's best to consult an expert if you want to save something for over 5 years.
The good news is, most red wines will be fine for up to 5 years. Certain wines age better over that time, certain wines (like tempranillo, one of my favorites) is very fruity and best enjoyed in its youth.
Also - Charles recommends diversification. Don't fill up your cellar with just one type of wine. Find what you like, but also don't be afraid to try new things. Here's just some of what I have on hand:
The labels are hard to read, but I have a good spread of red wines: Cotes du Rhone, bordeaux, carignan, grenache, syrah, port, pinot noir, and various blends thereof. All of these wines are OK to store for a year or more. The one on the far left, the Taylor Fladgate 20 year aged port, is good for over 25 years!
Let's Talk Cost
Usually, people buy cheap wine because it's cheap. And for the folks who may not be experienced in wine tasting, it should be a no-brainer to buy the $6 option over the $25 option, especially when the connotations of quality are not easily discerned. There are literally tens of thousands of kinds of wine out there, and when faced with two full aisles of nearly-identical wine at Harris Teeter, you're not going to want to look each one up. You're going to want to look at the price tag first.
Although cost is not always indicative of quality, in my opinion there is an objective baseline. For me, there comes a point where cheap wine ceases to be a good deal and becomes, well, cheap wine. Swill. It's my own personal tasting belief. And it doesn't come from the cost, either. There are plenty of fun, cheap wines that are super tasty. For example, I do enjoy Broke Ass Red, which I reviewed three years ago. That's a malbec/syrah blend for well under $10. And the Chariot Gypsy, a Trader Joe's exclusive, is four dollars. Four bucks! There are some good cheap wines out there, but you have to know which ones are "diamonds in the rough" and which ones are just rough. The only way to truly figure this out is to try it first. If it's awful, don't buy it again.
There are also plenty of wine critics out there, but before you run out to read the next issue of Wine Spectator, pause for a moment. Wine critics are specialists, with specialized palates and sometimes-laser focus. What they say may sound good, but it may not be helpful to you. Sometimes their reviews are biased, or at a higher level than you or I may appreciate. But enough about objectivity - it's really up to you to figure out what you like. And so when it comes down to it, remember: you're not buying for a restaurant, you're buying for yourself. Try as many kinds of wine as you can, figure out what flavors you like and can afford, and you'll be fine.
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