Your Ultimate Guide to Buying Wine | Wednesday’s In the Know
With all the holiday gatherings and celebrations, it’s fair to assume you may be hitting the wine aisle at your local market. Here are a few of my top tips for buying the perfect wine for guest or party at hand.
Menu: If you are hosting, the wine should “speak to” the menu. For example, a heavy Cab for steak and a clean white crisp wine for salmon.
Know where to shop: Do a little research and shop where there is a great selection, good price point, knowledgeable staff and if possible, someone you can build a relationship with. There is nothing better than going back to the same wine guy or gal and having them recommend wines based on your previous selections.
Learn what you like and don’t like: It’s helpful to know what your preferences are so they can steer you in the right direction. For example, I like wines that are fruit forward, full bodied reds, notes of cherry, etc.
Ask the shopkeeper! Don’t be afraid to ask the shopkeepers what’s hot, new, exciting, and getting rave reviews. Heck, they are in the business of wine and chances are they hear a lot of feedback from both winemakers and other customers, like you. And, if nothing else, they may know of a new wine that’s getting a lot of buzz and may be worth checking out!
Know how much do you want to spend: Start there and be confident with your choice in that range! There are excellent wines at every price point no matter your budget!
Pay attention to but don’t fret the awards and ratings: Your taste is different than mine and mine is different than yours. How often have you shared a meal with someone and you both left with different takes on the meal? Yes, these awards are great to note, but they should serve as a guide and benchmark not the tell-all.
At the end of the day, there are thousands and thousands of wines to choose from and the task of choosing one can be daunting. To this point, I encourage you to do your research, ask for help and most importantly, enjoy the process.
For other terrific tips and hundreds of recipes, visit my website (thetabletogether.com). While there, consider “subscribing” and I will send a new tip or blog post directly to your inbox every Tuesday and Wednesday morning!
P.S. Make sure you check out my YouTube channel, The Table Together with Tiffany Lewis, solely dedicated to bringing all of these fantastic tips and recipes to life!
Cheers to starting a new tradition around The Table Together!
Sincerely,
Tiffany Lewis
Founder and true believer in the power of bringing people around The Table Together!