Formal wine courses and informal materials like books, blogs and videos can help people get an overview of different facets of grape growing and winemaking as well as the cultures and traditions.Carlo Prearo/iStockPhoto / Getty Images
Increasing your level of wine appreciation is easy for anyone looking to keep an open mind. Formal wine courses, such as the different levels of the Wine & Spirits Education Trust or Wine Scholar Guild, are well-structured overviews of different facets of grape growing and winemaking as well as the cultures and traditions that shape our understanding. But they are expensive and potentially overelaborate for those looking to learn at their own pace and without having to pass any exams. These are some less intimidating ways to approach it.
Taste widely
One of the most perplexing but wonderful things about wine is the vast diversity of grape varieties and styles produced around the world. There isn’t just one stellar example, there are many. Understanding wine comes from tasting it. Wine should be pleasurable first and foremost, but some consumers stop shopping in different parts of the store once they find a style, producer or region they appreciate. If you’re serious about increasing your wine smarts, expand your horizons.
Taste with others
Wine is meant to be shared. Opening bottles with friends and families, joining local wine clubs or visiting wineries can be a great way to experience different wines and different viewpoints that can help you shape your own impression. You might gain a different insight about a dry white wine that might ordinarily not be your style, but you could see enjoying with a specific dish or cheese. An organized wine tasting, based on a regional or stylistic theme, can be a practical and affordable way to taste a variety of wines and compare and contrast their differences and similarities to see which attributes you enjoy the most.
Read, listen, learn to inspire your thirst
There are many books, weekly columns (like this one) and blogs as well as an increasing amounts of podcasts and documentaries to stimulate your passion. For general overviews, some beginners swear by the easy to digest approach of Wine Folly: Magnum Edition, others prefer the scholarly approach of Karen MacNeil’s The Wine Bible or Kevin Zraly Windows on the World Complete Wine Course. Check out what’s available from your local library, bookstore or online vendor. I’d suggest it’s equally fun to dip in and out of various wine-related subjects and sample what ever region or grape variety you’re reading about. I would point to the opinionated, yet informative collected essays of novelist turned wine writer Jay McInerney (The Juice, A Hedonist in the Cellar, Bacchus & Me) or former New York Times wine writer Frank J. Prial (Decantations, The Companion to Wine) or the works of British expert Oz Clarke (Let Me Tell You About Wine, Story of Wine, Wine By the Glass) as good launching off points.