One of the classic observations about wine is that it acts as a social lubricant, bringing people together and making them more open to conversation on a wide spectrum of topics.
It's true. As a regular attendee of wine tastings, I meet interesting people, taste exciting wines, and exchange a few laughs and insights with the people I see there.
If "Family Fortunes," the television game show, ever had a survey category of the top reasons why I frequently attend tastings, some of the main reasons would be: "I enjoy wine," "I need to continually find new topics for this column," and "tastings are usually free." The number one answer, however, would genuinely be, "they are great fun."
In the typical week, I go to three tastings or more. I taste roughly 18 to 30 wines a week, enabling me to identify delicious wines across a variety of price points. While I occasionally attend tastings of 50 to 100 wines in one venue, I prefer tastings of fewer than 20 wines. I'd claim I do this solely for the benefit of my readers, however, I know you're not that gullible. The truth is I love tasting events.
Wine store tastings are one of the best places to sample and to learn about wine. Most wine shops hold periodic tastings at no fee to offer consumers the chance to try a limited number (two to five or so) of wines in a few minutes. All they require from you is an open mind and a willingness to experiment.
Take advantage of local tastings by attending or by participating when you find yourself in a store holding one. You may enjoy wines you'd never have tried otherwise; that's the beauty of free tastings. Be adventurous. You may think you don't like a particular wine category, such as whites or reds or wines from a particular country, but that doesn't mean there aren't some you'd love, if you only tried them. You can take a sip, swirl it in your mouth and, if you dislike it, spit into the dump bucket. There are usually only a few sample wines; why not try them all?
Don't be too hasty in your judgment. Unless a wine really turns you off initially, give it a chance to show its stuff. Swirl it in your glass to aerate it and retry it; wines often need to breathe and benefit from that. Also, keep in mind that regular tasters frequently sample a wine that, at first taste, doesn't seem noteworthy. However, by the third or fourth sip, they find it's grown amazingly better. Our palates often just need to adapt to a wine.
Be realistic about your expectations, and be selective. Obviously, you won't like everything you taste. Buy only what you really enjoy. If you sample regularly, you'll find many of those.
Another alternative, of course, is to go with recommendations from wine writers or knowledgeable retailers, provided there is a correlation between their tastes and yours, as demonstrated by your own tasting impressions of their recommendations.
On that note, of the many wines I recently tasted, here's some I wholeheartedly recommend:
Whites
At a tasting of value wines from Bordeaux, I liked the exceptionally smooth taste and the value price of Chateau Roquefort's 2006 Bordeaux Blanc. Made with the classic white Bordeaux blend of 80 percent sauvignon blanc and 20 percent Semillon, it's a perfect match for seafood or salad.
Chateau Recougne 2008 Bordeaux Blanc, is another excellent choice for complementing swordfish or halibut. Its balance and flavour make it a worthy wine at a terrific price.
From France's southern Rhone Valley, Veronique & Thierry's 2007 Cote Jardin Cotes du Rhone blanc is another pleasant, nicely balanced white; it too pairs nicely with seafood.
Reds
I also tasted some terrific reds, starting with Rhone Valley winery Perrin et Fils' two tasty value choices in Le Vieile Ferme and their 2007 Cotes du Rhone Villages. Both feature good fruity flavours and harmonious integration of all elements. Chateau Pesquie's 2007 Terrasses, from the Cotes du Ventoux region is another perfectly balanced, totally delectable wine.
Try these delightful wines or go out to a tasting and find some great ones yourself. Enjoy.
MetroWest Daily News contributor Mark P. Vincent is a Framingham, Mass., resident who has a passion for wine. Contact him at winewisdom@yahoo.com or visit his blog at winewisdom.blogspot.com.
author: Mark Vincent