Best way to learn about wine

tatiannaa

I really enjoy wine but I don't know anything about it. What would be the best way to become more knowledgeable? Should I take a course, or visit different wineries, or what is a good idea?

White Horse

tatiannaa wrote: »

I really enjoy wine but I don't know anything about it. What would be the best way to become more knowledgeable? Should I take a course, or visit different wineries, or what is a good idea?

Some people enjoy wine tasting courses.

I prefer reading wine books and articles.

Bearhunter

Best way is to drink quite a lot of it. Seriously, reading and wine courses will only take you so far, but a true study of wine means drinking it. I don't mean getting plastered, but trying as many different styles as you can, taking notes and re-reading them later. Also visiting a winery will give you more appreciation of the actual nuts and bolts of winemaking.

Chevy RV

I did Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) courses a few years back and found them very interesting as they show you how to really "taste" the wine properly in an informal way. I think that these courses are now ran by agents on the WSET's behalf.

If you want more info then PM me.

Regards,


Chevy RV

grenache

Try different wines every week, and as mentioned in the post above, do a WSET course, you will learn a great deal.

dfbemt

I did a recent 4 week course with O'Briens. This was fairly basic but it gave me a bit of an idea. I can now tell the difference between white and red !!!

Seriously, good course, tasted plenty of wines, decent notes and a chance to get out of the house.

Decent price also. Would recommend.

Baggio

all ya need to do is hang out with me for a while!! ahahahahha

actually a mix of easy reading and tasting a couple of wines from different countries each week wil help your pallete gain experience, it takes time,

Oz Clarke had a great cdrom out a while back,,i have it here somewhere some great tips, info on that...get a pocketbook sized wine book by Oz or Hugh Johnston and keep it with yu when shopping, you be surprised how it steers yu to stay away from the dross!!

best of luck amigo....Baggio....

corkage

If you are serious about wanting to learn more about wine, I would recommend a wine course, and preferably an independant wine couse, ie one that is not associated with a wine shop,as they tend to just promote the wines they represent. If you live in the Dublin area check out www.dublinwineschool.ie
There's a woman called Mary Gaynor who is based in Kilkenny, I did a wine course with her a few years ago and she is very knowledgeable.

Arcto

I was told that letting the wine sit over under and around your tongue while inhaleing over it is a good way to get the real flavor of a wine.
Now, i dont know how true it is for an expert to do it that way but you can really taste the flavor so check it out.

rockmongrel

The Oz and James series, that's what initially sparked my interest in alcohol beyond just drinking it

winefan

The first thing I did when I wanted to know more was buy a book (Oz Clarke's Wine Guide). This gave me a good overview but, as some have already said above, you need to taste wines too. This is best done in the company of someone that you can learn from so you need to do a wine class. WSET courses are designed for those in the wine trade (or wanting to enter it) and the wines on the courses tend to be the more commercial, ordinary wines. The courses are expensive too. I'd recommend doing a wine appreciation course. I did one in Dublin city centre (www.dublinwineschool.ie) and I really enjoyed it and learned a lot so I'd recommend it but I think that a wine class is definitely the way to go as it structures the world of wine for you.

Happy tasting!;)

sourgrapes

Hi,

just do a search for "Jancis Robinson" on YouTube - she has put her winecourse from the 1980's/1990's up there and it makes for really interesting viewing.

Also, 'tis the season for wine tastings. Visit www.jeansmullen.com to see what's on and get out tasting.

Red Sleeping Beauty

bshaw

In September i signed up for the WSET Intermediate course to a WSET authorised school mentioned in a number of newspaper articles and wine websites at a cost of €425.
However the course never materialised and i have STILL NOT RECEIVED A REFUND despite a frustrating 2 months of phone messages and emails (No response!)
My advice is to please take care when choosing a course. I have since bought a wine tasting book and started having DIY tasting sessions with friends and family which are lots of fun.