Exploring the World of Wine

August 8, 2022August 8, 2022 by Elisa Ballard

I really don’t think good wine is hard to understand. When I’m tasting wine, simple as it may be, my first judgment of a wine’s quality is whether or not I like how it smells. We’re animals, right? I don’t like the smell of sour milk, so how can I objectively say a wine that smells “off” is good? I can’t, so I don’t. But, it is not fair to say that I don’t like a style of wine just because a few of those that I’ve tasted were “off” — gotta keep tasting, hoping for something good. Risk/Reward… get comfortable taking risks on wine you’ve never heard of.

North Face has a great tagline: “Never stop exploring” — this applies perfectly to the world of wine.

Steps to exploring the world of wine:

1. where is it from?

The world of wine is just that, the whole world! Knowing where a wine comes from might set an expectation, or bring back a memory of that time you were in Tuscany, and help you appreciate it for what it is, not what it isn’t. Hint hint… Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley, CA, doesn’t taste like Pinot Noir from Burgundy in France. My suggestion is to start exploring in Europe.

Simply put, it is easier to learn the foundational “old world” / European profile of wine first before transitioning to the “new world,” rather than going the other direction.

(Map courtesy of Wine Folly.)

2. what is it made of?

Just because you “love cab” doesn’t mean you love all Cabernet Sauvignon. Explore the lower 48, or Argentina’s great red blends, or all that Bordeaux, Tuscany, and Spain can offer. Leave South African Cab alone though… I’m just sayin’. 🙂

3. how is it made?

Wine is food — it’s not the quantity, it’s the quality. You don’t drink Colgate, you spit it out. Why would you drink a wine that doesn’t come from a vineyard attached to an address you can find on a map? Use your phone for something other than TikTok or a “DM” and check the facts. If the brand’s website doesn’t talk about the dirt, it’s probably because it doesn’t come from a vineyard.

I think the goal of buying wine is to pair it with the people you are with. 90+ is meaningless in that context. It’s all about the personality of the wine matching that of your guest, the meal, the sunshine, Tuesday night, or simply to try something new and see what the hell happens.