Love Wine? Here Are 10 Ways to Appreciate It Even More

For seven years, Wine School has examined wines from all sides to help readers learn to talk and think about them. Here are some key takeaways.

My first impulse, when we began Wine School seven years and 87 columns ago, was to offer an easy, enjoyable alternative to the classes and books that focus on tasting and breaking wine down to its component aromas and flavors. What’s wrong with that method? Nothing, if you are a professional with the goal of identifying wines in blind tastings. But that’s not the aim of most ordinary consumers, who simply want to develop comfort and ease with wine and to feel confident in their own taste. A far better approach, I thought, was to drink rather than taste, preferably with a meal shared by family or friends. This is the natural environment of wine, where it will fulfill its function of refreshing, intriguing and delighting, rather than a tasting in a more clinical setting. Under such pleasant conditions, we can all learn to evaluate wine by asking the simple but important questions: “Do I like the wine?” “Why?” and “Why not?” The answers can help anybody become a more confident wine consumer.