1) It is possible to find good, cheap wine.
James Chatto, a senior editor at Food & Drink magazine, says that it is possible for a novice wine drinker to pick out an enjoyable bottle of wine for under $10. Chatto recommends looking for countries or regions that are known for their inexpensive wines. He recommends Chile, South Africa, Italy, Portugal and eastern Europe, and advises looking toward whites if your budget is under $10. It’s harder to find good reds for that price because some are aged longer, often in oak barrels as opposed to steel tanks, which makes them more expensive.
2) The days of precisely pairing a wine to the meal are over.
Kelsey Williams, a fourth-year fashion communications student at Ryerson University, has been hosting dinner parties since her first year of university. “I love entertaining my friends at my house and trying out new recipes on them,” Williams says. “I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about matching wine to the food though, I pick what I like and it always seems to work out.”
Williams isn’t alone. Even wine critics are praising experimentation when it comes to mixing and matching flavours. Gord Stimmell, the Toronto Star’s wine critic, says, “That’s the vital part: keep experimenting. Have fun with making fusions of your own. Don’t listen to snobs¾let your own taste buds be the ultimate judge.”
3) Look for conversation starters
It is not the end of the world if you pick a wine that doesn’t suit your taste. Chances are, someone else could love it. Wine is very subjective and it can make for interesting conversation if you begin to talk about why or why you don’t enjoy a certain bottle. This is also the only way to learn what you do or don’t like. So don’t be scared to pick up that 2007 bottle of cat’s pee on a gooseberry bush sauvignon blanc or a 2006 Fat Bastard shiraz, even if the name throws you off, it’s sure to generate conversation at the dinner table.
4) Do at least a little research.
If you’re completely new to the sipping society, you may want to do a little research before you jump right in, not to mention impressing your friends with your wine wisdom. A few quick pointers:
- Wines are identified by variety (what kind of grapes were used, for example, a chardonnay) or appellation (the geographical location where the grapes were grown, for example, Burgundy).
- The two most basic categories are white and red. Reds tend to go best with red meat, while whites are usually lighter and go better with fish or poultry.
If you want to learn more about wine before you host your next dinner party, Chatto notes that attending a wine tasting is the way to go. There are plenty of wine tasting clubs in the city, and for the bargain hunters, there is iYellow, a free-membership social networking/wine education club. iYellow puts together monthly wine tasting and social networking events where young professionals can discuss wine. Each event has a different theme, such as Canadian or Chilean wines, and the only cost is the price of an appropriate bottle to share.
