New To Wine? Here’s How to Get Started! (Part 1)

Anyone over the legal drinking age has probably tried wine at some point – but there’s a lot more to enjoying wine than simply drinking it. Wine culture has a reputation for being complicated and hard to get into, but that’s honestly not the case. Like any hobby, there’s a bit of a learning curve with wine appreciation, but it’s actually easy to become a true wine lover!

Rollers Wine & Spirits offers easy wine online shopping, and we want to make it easy for you to learn to love wine too! So, in this two-part guide, we’ll go over the basics. First, how to appreciate wine as you drink it, then a quick guide to white wines in part two.

Let’s get started!

Learning To Understand and Perceive the Complex Flavors in Wine

Wine is, essentially, fermented grape juice. So, the type of grapes used in the wine will have a huge impact on its taste. Every type of grape will produce slightly different textures, flavors, and colors. The method of fermentation and storage also affects the taste of wine. For example, if the wine is stored in wooden barrels as it ferments and ages, the wood will add to its flavor profile.

As a result, there are a huge range of flavors that can appear in wine, far beyond grapes and alcohol. Wine can be sweet or dry (sour), it might have floral hints, it could taste a bit of wood, or have berry hints, spices, or more. This complexity is one of the things that keeps wine lovers seeking out new bottles to try!

Before you take a sip of wine, though, you should smell it first. Wine glasses have their particular shape because it concentrates the scent of the wine and sends it toward your nose. So, begin by taking a deep whiff, and see what aromas stand out to you. At first, you might only detect the fruit scents, but with practice, you’ll be able to notice some of the more subtle notes as well.

When tasting wine, your first drink should be a fairly small sip. Don’t immediately swallow it; swish the wine back and forth in your mouth a few times so that it reaches all your taste buds. Hold it for a moment and savor it, before swallowing. This is your chance to really taste the wine and start looking for the more subtle flavors.

Shop Wine Online with Us Today!

If you want a good starting place, we recommend a semi-dry (slightly sweet) white wine, easily obtained from a great online wine shopping site. Rollers Wine & Spirits has a huge range of wines, and you’re sure to find something you love!