Where to start?

This is always the "age old" question for no matter what hobby or discipline that anyone wants to pursue.

So maybe, you were at someones house and they served wine at dinner and you liked it or maybe you went to a restaurant where the server handed you the wine list which might as well been a foreign menu. Either way something got you thinking that you would like to know more about wine, you just don't know "where to start." Here are some tips to get you going on the right path (hopefully!).

First things, first: You have to buckle down and drink some. Yep, I said it. You can read about wine all you want but you will never develop your own palate unless you spend a considerable amount of time on the bottle. Of course, this can be an intimidating part of your experience. You don't want to buy something horrible and be turned off to the whole idea, and you definitely don't want to spend too much money for experimentation. I recommend starting on the lighter side of wine: The Whites. White wine is easier to swallow (literally) and provides a good base to work from once you get started. I recommend something simple like Yellow Tail Chardonnay or Woodbridge Pinot Grigio, both priced under $10 and are also good for entertaining.

Step two: Start doing some research. If you are reading this blog, then I can assume that you have some extra time to put into this part of the process. When I say research, I'm not talking about endless hours of reading articles on specific wines, I mean doing some basic investigating into the major details of wine development. Read up on the different types of grapes, wine regions, and how to spot a good wine from a bad one. All of this information is out there you just need to take a little time and sort through it. Look up wine on the Internet or pick up a Introduction to Wine book at the local bookstore and start researching today. Trust me, you will be amazed at how much you will learn in a short amount of time.

Last but not least: Drink some more! If I have said it once, I've said it a thousand times, no amount of literature can compare to your own taste buds. Drink responsibly and enjoy!!