Oregon Wine

We're all guilty of playing favorites. When you choose a wine for dinner or for a quiet evening at home, chances are that you're going to reach for an old favorite. What’s worse is that your go-to wine choice can all too easily become your only wine choice. While there is nothing wrong with having a favorite wine, part of the fun of being a part of the wine community is trying new and different tasting wines.

That’s right folks, it's time to try out something new. Why? Because you deserve it, that’s why! Ultimately you should be happy with your wine choices, and if you are, you probably aren't excited to make changes in your buying habits. By changing those habits up a bit and including some different wines, your can develop your palette and expand your horizons.

To start in your exploration of different wines, start by identifying the qualities of wine that you enjoy. The things I enjoy in a glass of wine are unlikely to be the same things you enjoy in a glass of wine. Take stock of your preferences, in terms of acidity, sweetness, earthiness, or even alcohol content. Likewise, take the time to figure out the qualities of wine that you do not enjoy.

With a list of likes and dislikes close at hand, choosing new different wines will be much easier. Start with wines close to your heart. Wines with characteristics that closely match some of your favorites are more likely to be more enjoyed. Buy a couple different choices at a single time; so when you take your bottles home and you don't like one, you'll have a couple more chances at success instead of being stuck with a bottle of bum wine for the evening.

Don't feel like you're stuck trying out different varieties, as there can also be large differences between the same type of wine from different vineyards. Two vineyards in different parts of the country can both produce a chardonnay, but the particulars, such as the exact formulation and blending, or the characteristics brought out by the vineyard's soil, can cause very noticeable differences. You wouldn't be the first wine fan to be mistaken in your belief that you already had found the world's best Cabernet Sauvigon, for example.

With your basket of wine in tow, now comes the tasting. While only you will know what you like, I always recommend bringing a pal or two to join you in your flavor foray. As for ratings, don't feel beholden to the standard rating categories; feel free to have some fun and create your own criteria amongst yourselves to judge the wine by.

I have found a number of interesting tastes using these sorts of simple methods; including varieties that I had overlooked for various reasons, be it a bad review from a friend or a label that didn’t appeal to me visually. The classic adage about judging books by their covers applies equally to wine. The whole point as I have learned it is to have fun with wine, learn what you like, and never be afraid to try out something new.