Is Wine Worth Drinking?

I have had a number of people ask me why I like wine so much and, not, other drinks. My situation is different than most people. For medical reasons, my doctors have told me not to drink beer or liquor, both of which in my younger years I enjoyed. They told me it was fine for me to drink red wine and that is pretty much what I have stuck to…although I do admit to having a glass of scotch on the rocks with certain friends of mine. Over the last 15 years I have learned to enjoy all facets of wine: drinking it, producing it and writing about it.

Ultimately, I believe the best answer to the question of “Is wine worth drinking,” is “yes!” It is worth drinking if you appreciate it and if it gives you pleasure when you taste it, collect it and enjoy it. There are several questions we need to ask ourselves when we taste a new wine or enjoy a wine we have not tasted for a while. I believe these questions lead us to answer, “Is this wine worth drinking?”

These are my questions, but you may want to add some of your own:

1. How does the wine make me feel when I drink it? Do I say that it was really good, or did it not taste so well? Can you compare it to any other wine or cocktail you had lately that made you feel good about tasting it?
2. What did the wine actually taste like? Did it have good aromas, feel good in your mouth and taste good when you swallowed it? Was there a lasting taste that you enjoyed?
3. How would you describe the taste of the wine? Did it meet your expectations?
4. If a friend asked you about a wine you recently tasted, how would you describe the wine and the experience?
5. Did you enjoy the wine, and would you drink it again?

If you enjoyed your wine enough to answer the 5 questions above, then you most likely are a person who drinks wine because you like wine and drink it for pleasure.

Now that you are a drinker of wine for pleasure, there are going to be some other questions and issues you will have to answer or take care of on your way to becoming a true oenophile. For example, what is the most important factor to you in the wines you drink for pleasure?

I believe in order to answer this question fairly you have to experiment and taste as many wines as you can. This is because every wine is different. For example, New World wines are different than Old World wines. Pinot Noir is different than Cabernet Sauvignon. Expensive wines will taste different than less expensive wines and so on. Trying new and different wines is an important factor to drinking wines for pleasure.

Remember: If it is pink drink it in a year.

I taste many different wines in a month’s time, and I have come to conclude the things I am looking for in any wine are the following:

1. Good aromas on the nose
2. A dry wine with a good chewy mouth feel
3. Lots of flavors on the palate
4. A balanced, long-lasting finish

You may not agree with my wine requirements and I certainly would not want you to. Everyone’s taste is and should be different.

Make your experience of drinking wine more about the things that will make it a great pleasure:

1. Do not forget the factors that go with tasting: Swirl your wine, sniff the wine and sip slowly.
2. Decant wines or at least let the wine sit in your glass for a while before drinking it.
3. Serve the wine at the right temperature.
4. Serve your wine in the right glasses.
   1. Pay attention to the age of the wine. Remember all the items we have discussed about a wine’s age:
      1. If it is pink drink it in a year.
      2. Most white wines are made to drink in the first or second year after bottling.
      3. Many red wines should be consumed within three to five years.

In closing, I think what makes wine worth drinking is each of us. We draw conclusions on our own. We tell others to try it and we purchase more. Any wine is worth drinking as long as it tastes good, is interesting and makes us want to drink it again.

As always, I appreciate your support of our wine blog and encourage you to share it with family and friends. If you are reading this blog for the first time, please consider subscribing while you are on the website. This way you will get our reviews and articles delivered to you for free in your email box. If you care to share your comments on this blog posting or other topics, please do so in the comments section below.

Cheers,

Look Forward to These Happy Things: Upcoming LEX 530 Events!

Napa Wine Dinner – Friday, October 23, 2020 – featuring wines from 4 Winds Winery

LEX 530 Wine & Dinner Club Dinner – Friday, November 20, 2020

Important Wine Holidays

November 7 – International Merlot Day
November 12 – International Tempranillo Day
November 18 – International Zinfandel Day
December 4 – Cabernet Franc Day
December 20 – National Sangria Day
December 31 – National Champagne Day