Wine Tasting

Although the weather has been gorgeous and spring-like around here this week, the last of the leaves are beginning to fall and rustle in eddies, serving as a great reminder that fall is, indeed, here. Nary one to pass up the bountiful little occasions for celebrating the season, I ferret around like a pre-hibernation squirrel for reasons to get together. My friend Kramer offered up a tasty idea, after having toured a local winery a couple autumns ago. Raise a glass to the season, toast the idea of tasting to learn, and host a wine tasting to celebrate the harvest fruits, with a big nod to the mighty grape.

Do your research. Though wine is certainly a prominent element to many feasts and fetes, my uneducated palate is only beginning to cultivate a taste for the good stuff. I am, by absolutely no means, a wine expert. I caught a show on Food Network a few days ago that actually taught me that the shape of your wine glass affects the way you taste, smell, and enjoy your wine. There really is no reason, in my opinion, to get all hung up about details like that just yet. It’s just so fussy and kind of defeats the purpose of learning about the wines you’re drinking. Perhaps one day, when you are a highly ripened wine snob, you can go to such lengths. But for now, whether novice or somewhat seasoned drinker, get a good grounding with just a bit of research on the basics of wine (red or white? chilled or warm? what to serve with it? how to store it? how to taste wine?). There are many wine enthusiast sites out there that can give you answers to any questions you might have. Here is a handful you can consult to beef up your vintner’s vocab:

• Wine Basics.com
• Wine.com
• Better Homes and Gardens
• Epicurious Wine
• Bolla Wines
• Yumseng.com
• Homestore.com
• So You Wanna.com
• International Wines.com
• Rental Decorating.com
• DIY Net.com
• Hainle Wine Ettiquette

Pick your venue. With the basic primer in place, decide if you’ll taste in or out. Wine has always been kind of cool, but lately, it’s been on the trendy swing up. Your choices should be many.

• Bistros and Bars~Many bars and restaurants have dedicated their raison d’etre to wine. In Chicago, Metromix has a handy compilation of places to try out. Scout out local city sites and yellow pages for an appealing site to dabble the old tastebuds in some vino.
  The copyright of the article Wine Tasting in Entertaining/Events is owned by Giao Duong Williams. Permission to republish Wine Tasting in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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