Introducing A Good Nose: A guy walks into a wine shop …

By Shawn Cunningham

Anyone with a well-rounded elementary school education knows that “you can pick your friends and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose.” Good advice, until you need to pick a friendly nose for wine.

And since as we age, more and more of us prefer wine, it’s important to find that nose. The fact is that almost 70 percent of Americans drink alcohol. And while beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage, wine is a close second overall. But wine is the No. 1 choice for women of all ages. And as men age, they turn to wine instead of beer. And still, wine’s reputation for being complicated keeps many from finding the wines they like and enjoying them.

Wine isn’t for snobs, and it’s no more complicated than finding that you like one taste better than another. The place to start is a good wine shop.

Now, lots of stores sell wine, but package goods stores and supermarkets rarely have staff who know enough about wine to help you. There, you’re on your own with only the “shelf talkers” that hang in front of you for advice. And those wine notes usually just say that each wine “will go with almost anything” you can think of … “or all by itself.”

If you want to find wines that you will like at prices you can afford or want to expand your wine knowledge, you need help. That’s where the wine merchant comes in. He or she knows wines and wants to work with you to understand your tastes and to take your budget seriously.

First, tell the wine merchant what you have liked in the past — whether it is the wine by name or by taste — and ask for a recommendation. Since this person is tasting a lot of wines – laying his or her liver on the line for you – he or she should be able to show you a wine you will like even if that style is not a personal favorite. These people have a real passion for wine and they want to help, so don’t be sheepish and don’t think that your taste in wine isn’t good enough.

This is just the beginning. Take the wine home and drink it. Figure out what you like and don’t like about the wine. Then, go back to the store and discuss. Make sure you give the wine merchant your honest opinion – don’t worry about hurting feelings – and ask for another selection. Before long, your wine merchant will have a very good idea of what you like (and dislike) and you will have broadened your wine horizons.

If you want to make a real study of it, keep notes. You don’t need a fancy wine journal or an I-phone app. A simple notebook will keep your opinions fresh in your mind and you won’t confuse one wine with another. Then you can start to go further afield in exploring wines.

Chester is lucky to have two sources of wines — Lisai’s and Meditrina.  Both come with knowledgeable help and not a lot of overlap between the offerings, which means a broader selection.

Chester is lucky to have two sources of wines — Lisai’s and Meditrina — with knowledgeable help and not a lot of overlap between the offerings, which means a broader selection.”

When the stores are closed, turn to a copy of Jancis Robinson‘s How to Taste.  This guide to buying, tasting and serving wines is straightforward and fun to read. You can also look to The Chester Telegraph as we begin to offer this wine column.

In the future we’ll be helping you with holiday food pairings, taking the stress out of ordering from wine lists, picking wines by the labels, storing wines, serving wines and more. We’ll also ask local wine experts to taste with us and make suggestions.

We want this to be fun and informative, so if you have suggestions of topics you’d like to have covered or questions about wine, let us know.

Next up: A mixed case for the Season – 12 Summer Wines.