THE TAYLOR REPORT

I've met many people that claim to not like wine. More often than not, they've been introduced to wine by someone that has no clue about wine. Yet, they pretend to know what to do when ordering a bottle. You know the guy. He knows everything and he has to prove it. He studies the wine list at the restaurant, spies every selection and inevitably orders something he is certain sounds impressive. The waiter smiles and nods their head and returns moments later with a bottle of the ordered elixir. Mr. Suave inspects the label, nods back approvingly and looks at you knowingly; this guy is smooth. The waiter uncorks the bottle and presents the cork for your host to sniff. He does so, nods in approval and the waiter pours a tiny bit for your host to sample. Mr. Suave lifts the glass, sniffs it and then takes a sip, he nods his head in approval and the waiter then pours each of you a glass. Your host lifts his glass to you to toast and then you take a sip. Yuck! It taste like you imagine a dirty boot would taste. Mr. Suave smiles as he sips the libation that you are now dreading having to taste again. What went wrong?

More than likely, Mr. Suave, doesn't like the wine any better than you, but he is not about to admit it. He's proving how debonair and well-heeled he is by these antics. He has no clue about wine and unless he's truly a wine expert he probably had no idea what he just ordered. There are many people intimidated when ordering wine in a restaurant, so they guess and hope for the best. A rule for drinking wine is being completely honest about what you do know and what you don't know. There's nothing impressive about pushing a sophisticated wine on a novice wine drinker, there's no way they can appreciate or enjoy it. Even the most astute wine drinkers sometimes have difficulty ordering in restaurants because the selections are often unfamiliar. How do you overcome this problem? Simple, talk to the sommelier or your waiter and ask questions. Discuss what you like, what you don't like and what you might be willing to try. Good wine stewards and waiters want you to have a good experience. Let them do their jobs. In most good restaurants, they will allow you to sample several wines so that you can pick one that you will enjoy.

That first bad experience at the hands of Mr. Suave has led many people (particularly women) to determine that they don't like wine. It's hard to overcome the memory of a bitter, tepid temperature liquid that filled your mouth leaving you wishing you could spit it out. To add insult to injury, you're made to believe you are somehow inadequate because you didn't enjoy this cherished libation. Well, let's cast those notions out and start over. Here are a few things to remember when making a wine choice, be it your first experience or one of many.

• Be honest about what you know and what you like, if you prefer a sweeter wine, say so.
• Most wines are better served at cooler temperatures, contrary to popular belief red wine is not intended to be served at room temperature.
• You do not have to have red wine with beef and white wine with chicken or fish. It is a personal determination. Drink what you like.
• Your taste in wines will change over time. What you think is too dry today, will not be in the future. Your palate will change over time; and will become more sophisticated.
• Red wines definitely benefit from being aerated, it's not always possible to decant your reds, but they are better if you can decant them for three or more hours before serving (I personally like to decant my reds and then place them back in their original bottle. Then I place them in the refrigerator for one-half hour or so before serving).
• Smelling wine before drinking is not being pretentious. Wine drinking is a process and a multi-sensory experience, smelling is as much a part of the process as tasting; smell, savor and enjoy!
• Good wine does not have to be expensive. There are great wines in the $10/bottle range.
• Not all wine ages well and not all wine is meant to age. If you keep it ten years does not mean its better; it might just be going bad and taking up shelf space.
• Good wines are made all over the world. Many are produced here, in the US. They come from California, state of Washington, Oregon and other places where the climate is conducive to growing vines that produce great wines. I hate to say it, but the Midwest region doesn't generally produce great wines, our growing seasons are too short for most varietals though some would disagree. Generally, areas with shorter growing seasons do better with specialty varieties, like ice wines, but you decide.
• Wine glasses also make a difference. That pretty heavy crystal goblet looks nice, but it doesn't enhance the wine drinking experience at all, choose good stemware.
• Lots of restaurants allow you to bring your own wine. Most will charge a corking fee, but it's still less expensive than buying wine at a restaurant where you're paying significantly more than in the store.

So, now that we've debunked some of the myths, hopefully, you'll discover that wine can be very enjoyable. Take your time, find a good wine merchant and you may discover that you like wine.