A Beginner's Guide to Enjoying Red Wine

The world of red wines is a heady, rich and wonderful world filled with everything from the nuanced subtlety of a gentle South African Merlot to the peppery richness of Sangre de Toro, or “Blood of the Bull,” from Spain. There are traditional "rules" to enjoying red wine, but many of these have been cast aside in today’s world, making red wine more accessible to the average person.  The increasing demand has caused the supply to soar as well, allowing for inexpensive and very delicious wine available to all.

Still, there are many who feel that the world of wine is not yet open to them. With so many wines to choose from, where does one begin?  How do you properly enjoy a red or white, and what accompanying food brings out their best attributes?

Let’s look at some very basic tips to maximizing your exploration of red wines.
First, don’t spend a ton of money on a bottle of wine. Leave that for later, once you’ve begun to explore beyond the brands and varietals that you like. There are so many wonderful and delicious wines available for somewhere between $5 and $8 a bottle that you really should not need to drop $20 or $30 for a bottle of wine.  Not yet, at least.

Also, you shouldn't begin your adventure by buying local wines just yet.  I know this goes against the current movement in many areas that encourages support of local farms and businesses, but just stick with me for a moment.  Often, your local wine store is stocked with bottles from the local vineyard, if there is one, or at least within your own state or province. These can be wonderful wines, or they can be vinegar--it really can be something of a crap shoot. Early experiences in anything can color all the rest from that first moment on, and at this early stage in your foray into the world of wine, and red wine in particular, you don't want to ruin your opinion of wine before you find something you really like. Unless you live in the Napa valley, or some other area that is well known for its wine-making efforts, stick with something that is nationally or internationally distributed.

Once you've picked a region or brand you'd like to explore, you should stick with a varietal, to start. In other words, pick a wine that is primarily made from one type of grape, i.e. a Shiraz, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, etc.  Although blended reds can be quite delicious, try to avoid them to begin with. By learning the flavors of the varietal grapes, you’ll be better able to understand what it is about blends that you eventually find you like. Avoid flavored wines or coolers that you can get at your local convenience store. These are made with little care from the least pure ingredients, and are often little more than non-bubbly soda pop with alcohol in them.  This can lead to a nasty headache!

My advice is to start with a nice Merlot from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand or Chile. These vineyards are usually able to balance cost with quality quite nicely.  I recommend Merlot because, of all the red varietals, it is the gentlest, and complements a broad menu of meals.

Reds like to breathe. Open the bottle and let it sit for ten minutes or so. This allows oxygen to get at the wine and mature it quickly. For that matter, pouring the wine into the glasses and allowing it to sit for ten to twenty minutes accelerates this process. You’ll find the flavor is much enhanced by this approach.

"Reds at Room Temperature and Whites Chilled" is a simple rule that does not always apply but is a good guide nonetheless. Chilling a red removes many of the subtleties of flavor for which you buy the wine in the first place and slows the wine’s ability to mature with exposure to oxygen. Keep them room temperature until you learn more about red wines.

I mentioned earlier that many of the “rules” of wine loving have been discarded, or at least loosened, such as "red wine with red meat or pasta and white wine with fish or poultry."  While these are not bad guidelines, they really are not carved in stone and nowadays waiters and even the seasoned gourmand will not turn up his/her nose at a guest who asks for a red with fish or enjoys a nice, tart Chardonnay with a burger.  In keeping with this blog's purpose of promoting wine for "the rest of us," I'm not shy in telling you my number one rule when it comes to enjoying wine--drink what you like to drink with what you like to eat.  Seriously, everyone's palate is different, and wine is all about personal enjoyment, not snobbery and conformity.  I disagree with telling someone they're wrong for pairing certain flavors together.  As you learn more about what types of wine you enjoy, so too will you learn what foods you like best with them.

So then, Merlot with what? While a Merlot can be a perfect complement for a spaghetti dinner (particularly if you have a nice buttery garlic bread), it can easily sit beside a pork chop or fried chicken dinner. Use your imagination!  A Merlot is a lovely, non-pretentious start to your journey and should open the door nicely to a journey into the world of red wine.
OK, Now What? Try a few different brands of Merlot from competing vineyards. Note the differences in style and substance. I’d recommend sticking to those south of the equator to begin with. Once you feel like you’ve tasted a number of Merlots and are acquainted with the differences, then move on to a Cabernet Sauvignon and begin your journey anew. I’d hold off on Shiraz, Syrah, Petite Syrah or Beaujolais until you have a basic appreciation of Merlots and Cabernets, but once you do, then dive in to the heavy, heady, peppery joy of the stronger reds. Once you feel like you really understand and can note the differences of the red varietals, start exploring the blends or the truly excellent California varietals. Good luck and enjoy!