Finding the wine you Want

Finding the wine you want!

Sometimes picking out a bottle of wine can be very intimidating. Let’s say you don’t necessarily drink wine regularly or you may be visiting someone who seems to be very particular in their wine choices. Just settling for a good label or consistently going back to a wine you feel comfortable with is just not fun or beneficial. You will never put your finger on exactly what you like if you do not try, try and try. Sometimes you will fail, but that is part of the process. You are constantly dialing in on the flavor profile that pleases you the most. Wine knowledge is exponential, the more you know, the more there is to know.
Here at the West Vail Liquor Mart we have our wine separated in a few different ways. All of our domestic wine (California, Oregon, Washington, etc.) is split up by Varietal. For those of you who are not familiar with the term varietal, it is just referring to the type of grape used to make the wine. For example; Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir are all types of varietals. All of our international wine is separated by region. Chilean wine is in the section labeled Chile, Australia with Australia. A lot of the New World wines (Australia, New Zealand, South America, U.S.) have the varietal listed on the label. Most Old World wines (France, Italy, and Spain) do not necessarily list the type of varietal, which can make these wines more difficult to discern. Specific regions in these Old World wines tend to have guidelines which require them to use certain varietals in certain regions. For example; Burgundy is a region in France and Red Burgundian wine is made with Pinot Noir, White Burgundian wine is made with Chardonnay. So we also try and separate the wines by region as well; that way you know what general flavor profile is offered. The French wine is broken up into Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace, Rhone, etc. The Italian and Spanish wine is generally broken up by region as well.
So none of this really helps you find the wine you were thinking of. How do you even know what type of wines you really like? This goes back to the intimidation thing. A lot of wine terminology can be difficult and quite frankly stops people from going any further. You may know you like Chardonnay and hate Pinot Grigio and that is how you always make your decision; always Chardonnay. But why not try some Grenache Blanc, or maybe try some White Burgundy (which is Chardonnay!). Wine is not made to be academic; it is made to be enjoyed. One of my favorite things about drinking wine is choosing it. The process that goes into making a decision about what wine to drink is fun. Some questions I ask myself are: Will I be eating with this wine? If so, what kind of cuisine? What is my price point? Not all of us can drink top shelf wine every evening. Producers realize that and make a ton of great affordable options. I have really been enjoying wines from the south of France, the Languedoc to be specific, and Spain recently. I feel that there is a lot of great quality for value prices coming out of these regions. If you are a California Cabernet drinker and have become frustrated with some of the pricing, why not branch out and try some Malbec or Cabernet from Chile or Argentina. Our staff at the West Vail Liquor Mart is very knowledgeable when it comes to wine so please use us to help you. As I have educated myself on wine I have found many gems along the way. Like I said the more you know, the more there is to know. Please do not be afraid to ask a question or try something new.

Enjoy the process,

Nick, buyer W.V.L.M.