No, I am not talking about what happens after your standard frat boy has a couple of bottles of Boones Farm. I am talking about the basics of enjoying wine.
Most people like to stick with what is comfortable, choosing the same wine over and over again. For as you know, that the prospect of walking 
into a wine shop is for many, off-putting. The choices are overwhelming, and there’s frequently an intimidating ritual involved, one that begins, “What sort of wine are you looking for?”
Although I earn my living talking about Stormhoek, that doesn’t mean that I’m not a bit promiscuous about my wine choices, and not only because Stormhoek isn’t yet widely available in the United States. (Don’t worry, that will change soon.)
So, be promiscuous with wine.
Try, taste, stray, be adventurous: Decide what you like for yourself and ignore the “experts”. (They’re not as objective as they make themselves out to be.) Bordeaux one night, California Cabernet the next… enjoy the decadence of promiscuity. Your ‘significant other’ will love you for it!
As Manolo will tell you, with wine, as with fashion, experimentation is half the fun.
And a good way to experiment with different wines is to go to a wine-tasting event. Several cities in the US have such expos, often staged around either a regional or varietal theme.
Of course, right now I’m spoiled, as the current Salon in Paris has over 400 wineries exhibiting, with admittance a mere 6 Euro (~$8) These salons are twice yearly events, and travel to other French cities as well.
http://www.vigneron-independant.com/auxsalons/recherche.php?changesalon=94&salon=Paris
Comment by Susan — April 9, 2006 @ 1:44 pm
I love trying different appelations that are brought in by my favorite wine importers. I figure that if the wine is imported by Kermit Lynch, Neal Rosenthal or Leonardo Locascio, it probably will not be bad. Also, Austrian reds are wunderbar.
Comment by Tafelspitz — April 10, 2006 @ 11:39 am
I love walking into wine stores although it is challenging to my self-control. I like to try different takes on a similar grape, but move on before it all becomes too familiar. Usually I have about 4 different types that I focus on. Right now for reds I like barbera (good deals available lately) barolo (when I can offord them) sangiovese, riojas, and old vine zin. For whites I currently like sauvignon blanc, pinot gris and of course anything from alsace.
My strategey: explore deeply, put a few of the faves into a cellar, and then move on.
Comment by Ryno — April 11, 2006 @ 1:21 pm
Joining a few wine clubs, one international and one from CA, helped me stretch my wine tasting muscles. You never know what you’re going to get in the mail. It’s wonderful!
Comment by Tammy — April 16, 2006 @ 3:54 pm
And for both the wine-lovers and the timid shoppers, La BellaDonna would like to suggest curling up with Proof, by Dick Francis. The hero owns a wine shop, and, as with many Dick Francis books, I picked up new knowledge while I enjoyed a good tale.
Comment by La BellaDonna — November 17, 2006 @ 5:23 pm