How to Become a Wine Expert
What is it that makes wine special? Nowadays, people take vacations to go wine tasting. The Texas Hill Country has become one of the top destinations in the country for wine tasting. But let's start simple: why wine is so special.
I want you as a consumer to know why WINE is so special.
The same unique timeline that created you, is similar to what will create a good bottle of wine.
Think about all the tiny moments that got you to where you are right now. That choice to go to work or call in sick. What about that day you decided to take a different path and see new things on your morning run? That time you decided to challenge yourself instead of doing the same thing every day. I realize these choices may seem small to you as if they have no real effect on the greater scheme of life.
Consider this: A rainstorm can affect how wine may taste in a bottle. One rainstorm that was placed toward the end of a growing season can change it all.
FACT: Rain towards the end of a season dilutes the sugars in the grape because it retains the water which, in turn, will make the flavors in the wine more diluted. At the same time, a grape with less water under the skin will have a more concentrated flavor and natural sugar. This is a result we see after grapes are done fermenting. (Fermentation: Sugar + Yeast= Alcohol)
Most vineyard owners pray that no rainstorms come their way in the last 6 weeks of a growing season so that the grapes can be more concentrated before harvest.
Which leads us to the conversation about the dirt that’s under your feet. You know the kind of stuff we walk on every day and pay very little attention to? Soil can change the way a single varietal tastes in that bottle you are enjoying right now versus one from another country with different types of soil. Minerals, nutrients, and many other components in the earth's surface get absorbed into the grapevine from the roots and the grapes then take on a slight taste characteristic of what is present in the ground of that area.
Whether it’s a $1,000 bottle or a $10 bottle; there is something unique about every single one. That is what makes wine so special. Wine is versatile, it is unique, and it evolves just as the earth does. It could be the most awful wine you have ever tasted but you must respect the journey.
Reflection: Recognize what makes you a unique individual. Remember your flaws are what make you better. Even if the bottle is bad to you, that bottle of wine went through a unique journey and someone learned something. Someone else may love the flavors that you don't like. As long as we learn something, then no experience is ever wasted. Someone may have learned the hard way on what not to drink!
