Know what wine you like

Underground cave cellar at Ugarte
Underground cave cellar at Ugarte

I love the above Rioja red wine – Heredad Ugarte (now Eguren Ugarte) that we bought from Spain recently.  My “wine buddy” however, didn’t really like about the hint of sweetness on the palate. But he admitted that he did enjoy the plum and oak at mid-palate.  The finish was long and delightful as well. What was all that?  It translates to “he liked the taste of the wine but said it could be better if it was dryer.”  It is kind of cool to be able to speak the fanciful lingo of the wine experts.  But it is not important in the beginning as you will pick it up along the way.

Know the wine you like

So you have to start somewhere!  How do you find out what kind of wine you like? Try Errggh… and Mmm…?  Errggh when you feel like you hate it and want to spit it out immediately! Mmm when you love it and couldn’t wait to gulp down the whole bottle!  Of course, life is not that simple, sometimes it is neither Errggh nor Mmm.  What do you do then?  Search it harder inside your heart  and you can always decide whether the feeling is leaning towards Errggh or Mmm.  This will give you some indications of what your wine taste buds are. Start recording your Errggh and Mmm on each wine you have tasted. You are always the boss when it comes to wine tasting.  Don’t let others influence you easily, even if they claim to be the experts.  So, be true to your Errggh and Mmm.  This is essential to find out the wine you like eventually. Which details about the wine should you record?  Let’s find out at