With summer entertaining season coming up, you might find yourself wine shopping and struggling to figure out which bottles to choose for a gathering. It’s hard to know what will please everyone; you also don’t want to break the bank trying!
What do wine professionals do? Ayca Revaz, the lead winemaker for Chloe Wine Collection, has a few tips to help you navigate the wine aisle like a pro.
1) Figure out how the wines are organized.
Take a step back and see how your store has the wines laid out. Are they grouped together by origin – U.S. or imported? Varietal?
Has the store created special sections for different varieties of whites and reds? Many wine aisles will have markers above the sections to indicate which direction you should head to find the kind of wine you’re looking for.
2) Know your audience.
Are you dealing with new wine drinkers, seasoned novices, or a mix of both? You can’t go wrong with an approachable red and a crisp white.
Revaz often goes for pinot noir because it’s a versatile yet complex wine. For whites, she loves a cool climate chardonnay or pinot grigio. They’re balanced, easy to drink, and not too sweet.
3) Consider with or without food.
If you are looking for a wine to pair with a particular meal, Revaz suggests selecting a wine with a similar intensity as the food so that they don’t overpower one another.
For example, a fattier dish such as steak or pasta with a rich sauce will pair well with a strong, acidic wine such as cabernet. A lighter meal of fish and vegetables will pair well with a lighter-bodied wine such as pinot grigio and sauvignon blanc.
“Keep in mind that in general, what grows together, goes together!” Revaz says. For example, try to pair your Italian meals with some Italian wines, keeping in mind the intensity of your dish.
4) Be honest with your taste.
“There is no shame in liking a sweeter wine!” says Revaz. Think about what flavor profiles actually sound good to you and look for bottles with those tasting notes. It takes a little extra time to read the labels, but you’ll feel good knowing you are spending your hard-earned cash on something that you’ll enjoy.
5) Choose wines from a familiar region and know the basics of climate.
“This sounds intimidating, but a little homework will go a long way!” Revaz says.
Grapes ripen quicker in a warmer climate, leading to a fuller-bodied, more jammy wine. Examples of warm climate wine regions are most parts of California (Napa or inland wine growing regions), Southern Italy, Southern France, Australia and Argentina.
On the flip side, a cooler climate where grapes take longer to ripen will produce more tart, acidic wines. Examples of cool climates include Coastal California (Russian River or Monterey), Northern France, Northern Italy, Oregon, Washington and New Zealand.
