BellaOnline Forums Food and Wine Wine Learning About Wine

I have been a wine drinker for years. I love wine and know what I like and that some inexpensive wines are better than expensive ones. However, think it's time to become a little more educated about the wonders of the wine world and hope to explore Peter's information a bit more in depth.

Thank you. Feel free to ask any question you like.

Win eis an enthralling interest because after learning about what is in the bottle you want to learn how it got their and that embraces making wine, growing vines, geography and geology, history, labeling, legalities and much more. One can specialise in just one area or try to know a bit about everything.

If you really love wine, buy tickets to a local wine tastings or wine festivals. This is a great way to try a variety of wines at a reasonable fee, along with good food to pair with it, and most contribute the proceeds to charity. It's a win win situation for all. The folks pouring the wine are almost always wine experts from either the winery, a sales rep for the winery or local distributor. These people are filled with knowledge and are anxious to share and teach you about their products. If you don't live in a city where they do wine tastings or festivals, then search the bigger cities in your state, I guarantee you will find something not too far away.

Thanks Apples..


The best was to experience a large variety of wines at minimal cost to to go to wine tastings. There may be a wine tasting group near you (I belong to three), local wine shops may offer wines for tasting (depending on local laws) and there are public tastings.

Eric Orange's excellent site Local Wine Events at www.localwineevents.com is a good resource for finding wine tastings near you.

I agree that wine tasting is a great place to get your feet wet. Not only do you get to try multiple high quality wines, but you get to meet other enthusiasts. I've been looking to give a friend a good "intro to wine book" any ideas on where to start?

Great question.

There are so many wine books (and I have written two of them !

If your friend is getting into wine then what I found tremendously useful at the beginning was Hugh Johnson�s �Pocket Wine Book�. There is an annual edition, the latest for 2011 has just been published and it really is an encyclopedia you can carry in a handbag or man�s jacket pocket. So useful when you are in a restaurant faced with unfamiliar wines on a list. Pull Hugh out and you�ll get details on the style of wine and the best vintages and wineries.

For a full sized encyclopedia you cannot beat Jancis Robinson�s �The Oxford Companion to Wine�
And there is Wine for Dummies � which is a very basic introduction that covers all the points.

Wine is good and advantageous to our bodies if not abused. It is advisable to take a glass of wine after meals because it boosts our digestive system. Wine is also used in most big hotels and restaurants as a food additive for making fine cuisine.




Edited to remove spammy link

theres a good wine shop i can recommend check my profile for it

Brent -- why do you recommend this place? Do you work for the company?

LOL, Peter - love your question