Lots of people overthink wine. Look, it’s just rotted grapes, okay?
Yes, master sommeliers and the great winemakers of the world fuss over the tiniest of details, but there’s no reason for the rest of us to worry. Most of us, most of the time, just want to enjoy the wine for what it is and not worry about the details.
With that in mind, here are five mistakes we all make that complicate our wine tasting.
First, we mythologize it. There’s so much fuss about wine that we become intimidated. Please, just drink what you enjoy and make it fun. Unless you want to, avoid things like trying to pair wine with the perfect food, pouring certain varietals into custom shaped glasses, or waiting for a bottle to age to perfection. The list of such things can go on and on. Just enjoy the wine.
Second, we get in ruts. If you find a wine you really love, then have it as your “go to” bottle. But try new things sometimes. Wine comes from all over the world, made from hundreds of varietals, by thousands of people, who all have different approaches. Each bottle is like a history lesson wrapped in a geography quiz. Have fun with the variety.
Third, we follow the crowd. Sometimes a wine become like a viral video or a social media influencer, and we don’t want to be left out. The old “two buck chuck” that Trader Joe’s is famous for is a case in point. Yes, it was cheap and sorta drinkable, but it was pretty boring. But everyone had to have it. Don’t follow the crowd — follow your own interests.
Fourth, we save the good stuff for …. well, for what? As I said in my book Salvaged, “We reserve certain possessions for special occasions, only to look back and notice there was never a moment quite special enough.” The result is we miss opportunities to truly celebrate life. So open up the good stuff and enjoy.
Fifth, don’t drink Pinot Noir. Or at least don’t drink what you simply don’t like. Now some people like Pinot Noir. I’m not one of them. I think it tastes like grape juice with pop rocks added. For you it might not be Pinot — maybe it’s buttery Chardonnay, or spicy Zinfandel, or fruit forward Cabernet Sauvignon. If you don’t like something, don’t drink it just because someone says you should. Yes, as I said above, experiment. But that’s not a mandate to always drink wine you don’t like.
So there you go — five simple mistakes that are easy to fix. Now go uncork something and celebrate life. And if you want to read more of my thoughts about wine, check out this page.