When someone is trying to choose the best wine, the first question that needs to be asked is, “What do you like?” That question alone will narrow down the choices that are available. Once the types of wine are narrowed down, establish a budget. From there, figure out what the wine is going to be used for and where and when it will be consumed. At this point, it is just a matter of elimination.
What do you like?
This is a question that only you can answer and one that should never be compromised. Stop listening to the “experts” that say red goes with meat and white goes with fish and poultry. Today, there are so many different types of wine available that some type of pairing can be made with just about any food. Granted, there is a lot more flexibility if you like everything, but few people will actually enjoy every wine that is recommended with every type of food.
Establish the budget
Don’t ever feel the need to overspend on wine. Rest assured that if your budget does not allow for $50 bottles of wine, there is something out there that will more than satisfy your tastes. If you cannot afford the latest CakeBread Cellars Cabernet, a nice $9.99 bottle of Casa LaPostolle will do nicely. Figure out how much you can spend, how many bottles are needed, and then it is time to find Classy Lax Car Service to airport for best weekend.
What is the wine for?
Are you drinking it on a summer afternoon on the deck? Is it for a BBQ or pizza night? Are you trying to impress your friends or girlfriend? These are basic questions, but ones that some people seem to forget about before they ever make their purchase. If you are not the only one drinking the wine, you have to take everyone else’s tastes into account before making the selection. Someone trying to impress a date with a bottle of Zinfandel when the only drink sweet whites will not exactly garner any brownie points.
Once all of the information is gathered, it is merely a matter of looking through the remaining choices and picking out the bottle or bottles that fall into your favorites. Don’t ever be afraid to try something new, just look for characteristics that have become favorites. Also, don’t let a cheap bottle or screw cap scare you off. There are Chilean twist off bottles for under $15 that put $50 bottles of French and Italian wine to shame right now.