TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT
These days there are more bottles of quality wine on store shelves than ever before. Scientific and technological advances in the vineyard and in the winery have made it possible for producers to make consistently great wines vintage after vintage. There are realistically thousands of wines from all over the world right at your fingertips.
With all of these wonderful wine choices, why not take advantage of the many options that are available and try something different. There are a number of ways to do this. Always drink what you like but try not to get married to one “brand” of wine. It’s easy to get locked into a particular producer so start thinking about wines from particular regions. Many will be made with the same grape varieties and there’s a good chance that you will find some great values in the process.
Don’t just stick to one color. If you think you only like red wines you are missing out on the world’s many wonderful white wines and vice versa, and I haven’t even mentioned rosé. Red wine drinkers, try some flavorful New World Pinot Gris or a Gewurztraminer from Alsace. White wine drinkers, try some light bodied reds like Oregon Pinot Noir or some Beaujolais from France. And then there’s rosé from everywhere. All I have to say about rosé is that they are serious, food-friendly wines that are not just for summer drinking and pink doesn’t necessarily mean sweet.
Try wines from different countries. We all know that U.S. wines from California, Washington and Oregon are world renowned, wines from France are the benchmarks that many winemakers followed and what would spaghetti and meatballs be without a nice Italian red wine. But did you know the there are many delicious wines coming from the Republic of Georgia, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Seek out wines made from unfamiliar grape varieties even if they are difficult to pronounce. Falanghina and Frappato from Italy, Monastrell and Godello from Spain, Agiorgitiko and Assyrtiko from Greece, Gruner Veltliner and Zweigelt from Austria and Saperavi and Rkatsiteli from the Republic of Georgia are just a very few varieties that are worth searching for. Break out of the same old Cab, Chard and Pinot Grigio rut, you won’t be disappointed and you might even find some new favorites.
Be more adventurous, do a little research, don’t be afraid to ask questions and experiment with some wines you might not ordinarily try. This is a great way to broaden your horizons and increase your wine knowledge. There are so many great wines out there and it would be a shame if you didn’t give some of them a chance. Try something different and you will make some amazing discoveries. Cheers.
111 Hillsmere Drive, Annapolis, MD 21403 410-268-1961 www.bayridgewine.com
