With every new vintage and new wine, new knowledge comes into play. If the masters of wine dont know it all, no one can. This is for good reason. There is magic, mystery and the unknown in wine. Its what makes it so beautiful. Therefore, gaining knowledge about wine must be a personal and passionate endeavor meant to enrich your, and only your, wine experiences. Not knowing one small detail about a wine does not make it taste any different, but endeavoring to know some things about a wine can make the experience more enriching. Like anything else, you get from wine what you put into it. The remedy lies in accepting wine education as a personal lifelong journey.
First, I think the stigma that surrounds wine needs to be addressed . The view that wine is a luxury item, destined only for the upper classes and special occasions, needs to be washed away. With every passing vintage more and more regions produce great wine at all price points. The access to great wine expands with every passing day. Wine can add a dimension of incredible beauty to life for all people. It has been said that wine is life and life happens every day.
Back to the real question, how do we get from A to B when it comes to wine knowledge. Many react by reading the myriad of books that will tell you every fact you might want to know about wine, but what is that knowledge worth? If it doesn't relate to your personal tasting experience of the wine or region at hand, its useless. After all wine is sensory and much of the knowledge surrounding wine is related to the transmission of one year, one vineyard, one fermentation and what that translates to us as individuals when we drink it. This poses the question, how do we make learning wine effortless and effective?
The solution is threefold. First, when you drink a wine make an effort to remember the varietal, vintage, region and producer. Before long a map of the wine world begins to appear and the puzzle pieces begin to fit together. You begin to remember that cabernet is made in chile, california and bordeaux because you have drank wines from there. Points of reference develop and the contrast within the world of wine begins to appear. Your personal journey around this map will lead into far more depth in some regions than others, but this will be YOUR journey, into wines YOU are passionate about. After all we learn the most when we pursue what we love. Secondly, read and research in a targeted way that is focused around the wines you are drinking at that time. If you perceive differences from what you read, trust yourself. Third, challenge yourself to drink from more regions and varietals than what you normally do. This will ensure that you are coming into new knowledge and reference points on a continual basis. If these three rules are followed the world of wine become clear sooner than you ever thought.
With your increased wine knowledge, you will be payed you back many times over. That dinner pairing or daily purchase is no longer a guess but a personal journey of discovery..you begin to understand your tastes and watch them evolve. With wine knowledge comes more intimacy with each glass of wine, more of a personal connection with the grape, region and producer. At this point the wine is giving back to you.
Wine knowledge is not a destination but rather a journey. Take in wine information by the sip, in your own style and remember, its just wine.
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