Let Me Un-Cork that for You: A Basic Primer on Understanding Wine

It is Friday night. You have invited your brand new date over to your place with the promise of a quiet romantic candlelight dinner. Yesterday, you wrote down everything you would need to get from the market. This morning you went shopping, and just this afternoon you slaved over a stove for hours in order to prepare the meal of a lifetime. This will be your first real date. You just met one another and you really would like to make a great impression. Being single is no joke. It's truly rough out there. Hopefully, your search is over. Who knows, this just might be the one.

Everything is just about ready. You have an hour or so before she arrive. The table is set, and dinner will only take a few more minutes in the oven. The drapes are pulled back revealing a full moon hovering high in the evening sky. Smooth jazz tones echo from the sound system encouraging a seductive mood in the atmosphere. You are anxious and filled with joyful anticipation. But wait! You forgot one particular detail! Your new companion mentioned her fondness for a good bottle of wine. Of course, you can appreciate a good glass of wine as well. However, you find selecting a good bottle quite intimidating. Nonetheless, with time to spare you rush out of the door and to the wine merchant nearby. What to buy?

Wine is really not that difficult to understand. Here are a few of the basics: There are just two things that you really need to know in order to be on your way to becoming a true wine connoisseur. Basically, the first thing that you want to learn is how to read a wine label; and then you want to simply rely upon your very own taste. For the most part, in most places around the world, a wine is named for the region from which it is made. Thus, a burgundy is from the Burgundy region in France. In America though, a greater reliance has traditionally been placed upon the grape from which the wine is made. In other words, you are purchasing a Merlot or a Chardonnay. So, understanding what the label says about what is in the bottle is half the journey. What you want to do next is experiment; open your mind and discover what suits you best. Ask yourself, "What do I like?" Nobody else can decide that for you. So, shop around, purchase a few bottles and try them out for yourself. Allow your own palate to cultivate is own decisions. Lastly, there are really only a few main varieties of both red and white grapes used for making most of the wine produced in the world. The reds are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Syrah or Shiraz, Gamay, and Zinfandel. The whites: Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling. Most likely, the wine you purchase contains a blend of two or more grape varietals.