WIne Selection - A Beginners Guide

Wine selection is a subject regularly asked about to people within the wine industry. What kind of wine would I like? Is this particular wine good? What price should I be paying for a good bottle of wine? What about online wine websites?

Wine selection primarily comes down to personal choice. But how would I know what's good? There are many options to taste wines before buying them. A lot of bottles shops can from time to time have promotional wines which can be tried. Generally a wine company will run these types of promotions to help sell their product.

This doesn't mean that you shouldn't indulge in their free offerings, by all means, indulge. The other great thing about these promotions is that the wine will generally accompany a sale of their wine so good value can be garnered from these as well.

A great way to try wines is by going to wineries. Some wineries are introducing a “tasting fee” which is mostly waived if wine is purchased. There are many ways to go about visiting wineries. If you have knowledge of a particular winery region, you can plan the trip yourself. You can also gather information from the internet to help you plan a trip.

If you're planning a trip yourself, information can also be gathered from the wineries you visit as they will have a lot of knowledge about the area. If you're not confident organising one yourself, you can always pay to go on an organised trip. Many companies are available to do these trips, especially in the larger regions.

There's two great ways to try lots of different wines from different wineries all in the one location. The first is by joining a wine club. These wine clubs have tasting parties from time to time which are sometimes sponsored by wine companies.

Online wine websites are a great way to find value if you have an idea what your buying. Otherwise, read what they have to say. Many online wine websites have mixed dozens which can be purchased which will give you knowledge of certain regions and/or certain types of wine.

In the end, its completely your personal choice. Nobody can tell you what wines you should like, but rather give guidance in what you may like.

Wine can be a great shared experience, but above all else, an enjoyable personal experience.