The Auswine Forum

Hi there, me again

just wondering how do you guys used to choose which wines you buy, at the very start, like me

and how do you choose which wines you buy now?

i know the more experinced ones have a brand they like, and alot of you guys read reviews like on Halliday

i was wondering if this site: http://www.winorama.com.au/category/wine-of-the-month/

was any good, because i'm thinking of maybe pouring through this list

cheers fellas

There's been mention in previous posts about whether Lordson is a wind-up merchant. I'll play the game one time only, as a few other (more regular) forumites have done.

Lordson, I find it amazing that you have woken up one morning, and decided to 'discover' wine, especially as a previous post is titled "What's the point?". An interest in wine is not something you decide on a whim - it creeps up on you gradually, in the same way that I now have developed a taste for olives, although I couldn't handle them as a child. If you like something a little, you explore it a little more.....

....and I suspect that's what most of us have done with wine. I don't know anyone whose first experience of wine was life-changing. It has become that way over time, and on this forum I suspect you'll find 'newbies' with little experience, people who have wine as a part of every day, people like me that thought enough of the subject matter to do a vintage at a winery and have some interest in the industry (not just the product), and the true professionals (those whose living is dependent on wine).

All of us have got to whatever point we are at (and probably are comfortable with) by trial and error, by an application of the "I don't know much, but I know what I like" philosophy. Over time, as your wine experience grows and your tastebuds change, the "I know what I like" changes, and wines I drank as my 'house white' 15 years ago are no longer my taste.

As far as your attempts on this forum to fast-track your education, I think you are doing yourself (and us) a disservice. The advice that has been offered is certainly valid, and most of it is trying to guide you to find the "I know what I like" wines. That's where you need to be right now.

In terms of the future, and changing tastes and experience, then by all means try all sorts of wines, through in-store tastings, cellar door visits, and quite a lot of 'taking a gamble' on a bottle of wine. Read, by all means, the wine scribes and the forumites, but remember they don't know your palate.

The best tutor is experience, and I hope you persist in trying wines, and experimenting where possible. If, at the end of the day, the 'what's the point?" question is still in your mind, then give it a miss. Wine's not for everybody.

Cheers

Allan

Visit wine regions
Go to tastings at shops
Read forums
Read books/guides/newspapers
Buy mixed dozens.

I'd say out of every 50 wines recommended/tasted I'll only consider buying about 2% of them again. But any one winery could have 8 different types of wines on show.

It's all about personal preference and what each person feels makes a quality wine (although most of us agree what determines quality).

I've trained hundreds of staff in wine knowledge and service since the 90's and I find it hard to believe that you're not capable of finding a wine you enjoy.

Basically, if it smells or tastes like nutmeg I buy it.

Davo wrote:Basically, if it smells or tastes like nutmeg I buy it.

Davo wrote:Basically, if it smells or tastes like nutmeg I buy it.

You don't like the wet hessian characters of some older reds Davo?

Daniel Jess wrote:

Davo wrote:Basically, if it smells or tastes like nutmeg I buy it.

You don't like the wet hessian characters of some older reds Davo?

Davo likes bags of nutmeg?

1. Try some recommended wines from books, shows, forums, writings
2. Attend some tastings
3. Tour some cellar doors
4. Buy some wines you like
5. As you learn and get a bearing on your own palate then trust your palate and buy what you like. Dont spend your life chasing points.

Why don't you do this: Buy one of Gavin's sampler packs or ask him to put together a mixed 6 pack of very distinct wines to try from his online store. Then try them all and see which wine you liked best, and which you liked least. Then report back. There's no way round just trying a bunch of different wines that come recommended and giving them a go. Unfortunately we all have different palates - so just because some old expert tells you a wine is technically excellent, there's no certainty you'll like it.

After a few years of experimentation and educating yourself like this...

...you'll still be trying to work it out!

I have about 8 wines I buy from cellar door every year regardless of vintage. The rest...what ever takes my fancy.

Graham

Read forums, books etc as stated prviously - the website quoted is excellent, but that said, it is to the tastes of one person. your palate may be different. Purchasing a tailored pack from auswine is probably the best go. you can try them all and find out which you like best - also keep your eyes out for wine tours - eg the coonawarra road show, the good food and wine show. where you can go and sample a heap of different wines from different regions for a fixed price. further, the big chain stores, dm's/1st choice and some independents do tastings every weekend.

I think the fact that lordson virtually never responds to other peoples replies and if he does it's many many days later and then he ignores half the points raised pretty clearly indicates what his intentions are. Also seems to ignore the advice given and just does his own thing anyway.

If he were really interested he would be "discussing" issues rather than posting and then disappearing.

lordson, buy a few wines, read a few books and work it out for yourself if you are genuinely interested.

Why do you need encouragement to read Winorama? Up until last month it was free. Just read it and figure it out for yourself. People here are happy to offer specific advice or discuss issues but not to hold your hand through your personal "wine journey".

lordson wrote:
i was wondering if this site: http://www.winorama.com.au/category/wine-of-the-month/

was any good, because i'm thinking of maybe pouring through this list

cheers fellas

I think you answered that one yourself a while back...

lordson wrote:
"i think winorama is going to close down. sucks they're moving over to winefront

that was a good free site, now i'm going to have to pay to get tasting notes"

pay to get tasting notes

never! id rather pay for bottled water

I walk around the shop and look at all the labels, without really worrying about region or variety or colour or bottle size or sometimes even price, and eventually select the wines with the highest alcohol content.

Actually, I don't... but I do know a guy who's adopted this as his selection method and has been using it with varying degrees of success for the past 30 years!

Can't add much more to the wise words of advice above, other than take a punt on something occasionally.

Many people fall into the trap of drinking the same wine because "they like what they know", (which I have always thought was one of the most oxymoronic comments I've heard).

If you come across a nero d'avola from Sicily etc try it.

The other thing is ask the bottleshop attendant.Although a lot of this will depend on where you are, if it is a fine wine bottleshop they are generally better, but your average suburban BWS attendant might eb a bourbon and coke man who thinks wine is for poofs. It's a bit like wine reviewers you'll find the ones you trust soon enough.

Having worked in bottleshops myself, it's a fair bet the attendant will be tasting more wine than you are, and (this is just a punt) due to the low wages in this area when pressed he will probably know a couple of wines that are superb quality at a bargain price.

Jules wrote:might be a bourbon and coke man...

Strictly speaking that's a cocktail which makes it a ladies drink if ever I saw one

Jules wrote:...who thinks wine is for poofs...

Seinfeld wrote:Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Red Bigot wrote:

lordson wrote:
i was wondering if this site: http://www.winorama.com.au/category/wine-of-the-month/

was any good, because i'm thinking of maybe pouring through this list

cheers fellas

I think you answered that one yourself a while back...

lordson wrote:
"i think winorama is going to close down. sucks they're moving over to winefront

that was a good free site, now i'm going to have to pay to get tasting notes"

I think lordson is actually a goldfish...

Lordson is a anagram for what?
However as an aside - why do I buy what I do buy. Well I am one of those that buy from a select number of wineries simply because I like to experience the variation and development over many years (since the early 70's in some cases). I rarely pick particular years, points allocation or from tasting notes on say Halliday. But I also spend a lot of time drinking other peoples wine which gives me the chance to add, if I want, to my list of regulars.

JohnP wrote:Lordson is a anagram for what?
However as an aside - why do I buy what I do buy. Well I am one of those that buy from a select number of wineries simply because I like to experience the variation and development over many years (since the early 70's in some cases). I rarely pick particular years, points allocation or from tasting notes on say Halliday. But I also spend a lot of time drinking other peoples wine which gives me the chance to add, if I want, to my list of regulars.

Good to hear you again John. I thought you may have gone teatotal or given up Barossa Shiraz.

GrahamB wrote:

JohnP wrote:Lordson is a anagram for what?
However as an aside - why do I buy what I do buy. Well I am one of those that buy from a select number of wineries simply because I like to experience the variation and development over many years (since the early 70's in some cases). I rarely pick particular years, points allocation or from tasting notes on say Halliday. But I also spend a lot of time drinking other peoples wine which gives me the chance to add, if I want, to my list of regulars.

Good to hear you again John. I thought you may have gone teatotal or given up Barossa Shiraz.

Graham, Simply been a little too busy. But am geting some time again so will be able read and comment a little.

Nothing beats actually tasting wines, whether its getting together with friends and trying different wines, sipping freebies at your local wine shop, or going to tastings and trying a wide variety of wines. What turns each of us on is intensely personal and it takes time to explore and expand one's palate.

When I started drinking wines I tried to remember the wines that I liked and I would mention favorites to the wine specialists at the stores I frequented to get their recommendations. I went back to the salesmen that were good at it and dropped the ones that were simply hawking product. As I got into it more I found fellow wine enthusiasts who were more experienced and began to tap them for ideas on what to try and what to avoid.

The internet has opened up a huge information source that you can tap into to learn about wines and read reviews. Right now, CellarTracker has 650,000 reviews of wines from around the world and will only get larger. Wine-Searcher and WineZap are good resources for reviews and pricing even if you can't ship wine to where you live. There are hundreds of blogs devoted to various aspects of wine that are great sources of information.

I learn more about wine by focusing on a grape type or style of wine for a period of time until I'm ready to move on to something different. Once I find a producer or winery that I like, I tend to buy the same wine in other vintages. Nothing beats a vertical tasting to pinpoint exactly what you like in the wines from a particular vineyard.

Right now I'm on an Aussie/Kiwi kick with a heavy emphasis on Shiraz wines and stickies. That's one reason I joined this forum because I like many of the insights into those wines that I won't get anywhere else.

I find one of the most challenging things to do is to pair wine to food. It doesn't take much to match good food to good wine, but its an art form to pair them so both taste better. Its great fun to take favorite appetizers or entrees and experiment with different wines while looking for that perfect match. My wife makes an excellent Spanikopita, a Greek dish made with fillo dough, spinach, cheese, and lots of butter. It was challenging to find wines that work with it, but I found a wide variety of wines were excellent matches, from mostly dry sherries to pinot noirs and sauvignon blancs. Were I starting over, I would focus less on collecting wine and more on improving my ability to marry food to wine.

As a final thought, just remember that it is your likes and dislikes that should define your journey...nothing else.

yeah, at this point i think i'll have to first figure out the differences between the different types of reds. so far i've only tried cab sauv, and shiraz.

and then i'll try to figure out the differences between the places, such as hunter, barossa, clare valley, mclaren vale, coonwarra

i dont think shiraz goes well with any kind of spicy food, kinda stuffs it up a bit, because of the double hit of spiceness

yeah, at this point i think i'll have to first figure out the differences between the different types of reds. so far i've only tried cab sauv, and shiraz.

and then i'll try to figure out the differences between the places, such as hunter, barossa, clare valley, mclaren vale, coonwarra

I wouldnt get too carried away with fine detail re regional variation to start with. Learn your varieties and learn what you like. Even after years and years in wine picking regions can be a bit hit and miss.

Perhaps get some advice and look at a number of 'typical' or 'classic' examples

Coonawarra Cabernet, Barossa Shiraz, Margaret River Chardonnay, Hunter Semillon, Eden Valley Riesling, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Martinborough Pinot Noir.

The other thing is never rate out of 100. It is the law.

lordson wrote:i dont think shiraz goes well with any kind of spicy food, kinda stuffs it up a bit, because of the double hit of spiceness

You might be surprised, I mostly drink shiraz with authentic Thai food as do many of my friends, including Thais.

i dont think shiraz goes well with any kind of spicy food, kinda stuffs it up a bit, because of the double hit of spiceness

Lordson, most people would agree with you. I couldnt think of anything worse than a heavy shiraz with Thai but taste is a personal thing and if you don't drink white wines you are ignoring what most people would suggest are the best matches; Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. I also think off dry Riesling also does well.

It is pretty easy to search the internet and get 'classic' food/ wine matches. Perhaps these are the matches most people enjoy though there is nothing to stop you drinking shiraz with thai if that is what does it for you. If it doesn't I wouldnt worry, you arent alone and I don't think you would score highly in a Sommelier exam for that suggestion

Craig(NZ) wrote:

i dont think shiraz goes well with any kind of spicy food, kinda stuffs it up a bit, because of the double hit of spiceness

Lordson, most people would agree with you. I couldnt think of anything worse than a heavy shiraz with Thai but taste is a personal thing and if you don't drink white wines you are ignoring what most people would suggest are the best matches; Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris. I also think off dry Riesling also does well.

It is pretty easy to search the internet and get 'classic' food/ wine matches. Perhaps these are the matches most people enjoy though there is nothing to stop you drinking shiraz with thai if that is what does it for you. If it doesn't I wouldnt worry, you arent alone and I don't think you would score highly in a Sommelier exam for that suggestion

Craig, you are the expert at ignoring what most people would suggest. "Most people" don't matter when it comes to personal taste, in fact "most people" wouldn't have a clue.
There aren't too many sommeliers in authentic Thai restaurants, but most of the wine lists I have seen include red wines, and one of the best Thai restaurants in Sydney has an extensive cellar of red wine picked to go with the food they serve.

Thai friends who used to run our favourite local Thai restaurant are just opening a new restaurant and I'll be helping them create the wine list. There will be a fair selection of Aus shiraz on the list as well as whites.

Craig, you are the expert at ignoring what most people would suggest. "Most people" don't matter when it comes to personal taste, in fact "most people" wouldn't have a clue.

Knickers in a twist over that reply? Holy Molly batman you are in a bad way. Your "Most People wouldn't have a clue" comment is of course not unexpected. It says a lot about your blood pressure. You need to relax a bit, do some yoga or something, buy a pet rock, chill a little.

Read what i wrote again Brian. I was very careful to suggest that "there is nothing to stop you drinking shiraz". I am quite aware everyone has there own preferences.

Just for giggles I typed the words "Wine Match Thai" into Google (feel free to do the same) and hit the very first entry on the list. Copy and pasted below for the lazy is a section from the resulting page. I need say nothing else really.

"Residual sugar in wine will offset a dish’s spiciness: If you are serving a spicy dish like red or green curry, consider pouring a white wine with a hint of sweetness, such as an off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer, or a demi-sec Champagne or sparkling wine. The sugar will tame the heat and quench the fire of the dish, allowing you to return for bite after delicious bite.

Tannic wines can fuel the fire of spicy Thai dishes: As delicious as they are, highly tannic red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Bordeaux and Barolo can be difficult to enjoy with spicy Thai cuisine. The wine’s warm temperature, alcohol content and mouth-puckering quality can exacerbate the heat of already spicy dishes. If you are a red wine lover, try sipping something lower in tannins, such as Pinot Noir, Beaujolais or Rioja. You can even chill these reds in the fridge for fifteen or twenty minutes to make the alcohol content less apparent and the wine more refreshing."

I am not relaying anything controversial, inaccurate or "out there". It is sensible moderate opinion that is no doubt repeated in countless other places that I put forward to balance Brian your more "out there" (though just as valid) opinion.

thats bloody awesome!

i came to the conclusion of no shiraz with spicy food, by experimenting, because i was eating it with spicy food and it didn't do too well at all

feel just that little more accomplished now

i reckon shiraz will go good with something really flavoursome, something gamey like lamb or a good steak