It is not a much-complicated task to find the best wine for a beginner. When you start drinking wine, you will feel a different taste. This is in case you are not drinking anything like cocktails before in your lifetime. But if you already know the taste of such drinks, you will love the taste of wine and flavor. So, if you are new to the world of wine, it is better that you learn some basics about wines for beginners, which will help the most.
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The Basics of Good Wine
Choosing a good wine is important and subjective. Each person will have a different taste and they choose a different wine according to their taste buds. Many flavors that people can prefer such as
- Delicate
- Bold
- Spicy
- Tart
- Sweet
1. Sweetness
If you are looking for a sweet wine, check the label and that comes with the term ‘sweet’ or ‘semi-sweet.’ But the dry wine never gives you sweetness.
2. Acidity
If you are looking for tart-tasting wine, then you can consider the high-acidity wine which is tarter.
3. Tannin
Tannin means the Phenolic compounds that are present in the skins of grapes. If you use tannins in the process of winemaking, then the wine will have a bitter taste. Because, tannins also will make your mouth dry and thus, people confuse the dryness and tannin level of the wine. Coming to the red wine-making process, the manufacturers use more tannin for having a bitter taste in it.
4. Body
The body of the wine also has some meaning in it. When it has a light or full body or in between the two, it may refer to how heavy or light you feel in your mouth. For red wines, the body will be fuller than the white wine.
5. Alcohol
When you find a higher percentage of alcohol in your wine, then it will make your throat warmer. One can measure it in terms of alcohol by volume (ABV) in wine. In most cases, the alcohol may range from 5.5% to 20% amount in your wine.
Also read: 10 Best Red Wines to Drink
How to Pick a Good Wine Bottle for Beginners?
Here are some tips that you need to consider while choosing a wine for beginners.
1. If You are New to Wine, Start with a White or Rose Wine
Just like how you change your food preferences over age, likewise, the wines that you enjoy will change over time. Based on the study by Sonoma State University, it was found that most beginners love to enjoy having sweet white or rose wine at the initial stages. Later on, they love to try red or dry wines with different distinctive flavors. Almost 54% of the respondents at Sonoma State University said that they love to have sweet or semi-sweet white or rose wine while they start drinking wine. But only a few people will try drier or bitter wines at the initial stages.
If you don’t like drinking sweet wine, then you don’t have to jump to red wine directly. Instead of red wine, you can try out dry or white, or rose wine.
2. Reflect on Other Flavors You Enjoy
Wines come with a unique taste, but it doesn’t mean you will get the flavor that enjoys in other food and drinks. These flavors and tastes never influence you in finding a good wine. But what your taste preferences are can help to identify which types of wines you may opt for.
For instance, if you like more sweets, then you will love to have sweeter wine. On contrary to this, if your taste buds love the sharp taste of bitter black coffee, you will love enjoying acidic wine. So, it is simple to guess the flavor of wines based on your food preferences.
3. Consider the Occasion
If you are looking for a wine to enjoy alone or to share with friends, you need to choose a different wine based on your needs. For different occasions and purposes, you will serve and enjoy having wine. But how will such an occasion affect you in selecting the wine? Here we will discuss about it.
When you enjoy having a party with your friends, you can consider buying a white or red wine bottle. You should opt for the wine that falls in the range of mild sweetness, body, and acidity. For sharing with friends, you can prefer white or red wine as the best option.
Are you Pairing with a Meal?
To pair up with a meal, some wine flavors come as the right option. For instance, when you have chicken and fish as your meal, you need to consider having white wines. In the case of heavier food meals like beef or lamb, you should pick a bottle of red wine to accompany your meal.
4. Read the Label of The Wine and Learn About It
Sometimes, people just a wine bottle on seeing the label’s catchy notes, fonts, or clever names on it. But, you need to read the label before buying any wine. Ensure that you read carefully to buy good wine. The first thing is to read the label of the wine and then you can admire its presentation.
You need to search for some information on the wine bottle. Some of them include the data about the region, grapes, and valley.
5. Never Decide on Price Factor
You should not simply buy a wine based on the purchase price. When you find a wine is on sale, then you should understand that it is not in season. It doesn’t mean the wine is of low quality. Similarly, never buy a bottle of expensive wine, as it is not the better option for you. But you need to consider the flavor, occasion, characteristics, etc of buying wine.
The Bottom Line
This article will help beginners to choose the right wine based on the above characteristics and other stuff.
Also read: What is Dry Wine: Guide to Best Dry Wines
