These days, it’s hard to find someone who doesn’t like wine. With more than 7,000 wineries across the United States (including in all 50 states), it’s hard to blame folks for being such big fans of wine.
As if that wasn’t enough, it’s never been easier to buy wine online. Even the most basic search of wine online reveals dozens, if not hundreds of websites of online wine shops that offer everything from cheap wine online to rare vintages that you can’t find anywhere else. Heck, you can buy wine on Amazon!
If you’re brand new to wine and looking to buy wine online, the sky is the limit when it comes to options. You can join online wine clubs to get something different every month, you can find cheap wines to stock up on or you can find finer, more expensive wines for special occasions or for wine parties.
But before you go crazy buying wine online, it’s helpful to know a little bit about wines so you’re totally overwhelmed. To that end, let’s take a look at red wine.
Red wine is arguably the wine of choice worldwide with so many different blends, flavor profiles and variations. Because there are so many different types of red wine, it can be a little bit daunting if you’re brand new to wine or you’re looking for the perfect wine for a certain occasion. With that in mind, here are six helpful things to know about red wine:
- Label reading: Even if you think you know next to nothing about red wine, you can actually learn a lot about it just from reading labels. By reading labels you can find out where the grapes are from in a specific wine. For example, colder climates (northern France, northern Italy, Germany) produce lighter-body wines and warmer climates (southern France, California) produce full-body wines, which have a more intense flavor.
- Sniff the wine: Once you’ve poured a glass of wine, you can try and identify the aromas of your wine by sticking your nose in your glass and sniffing around. Believe it or not, there are actually three different levels of aromas that you’re likely to smell in a wine. The first level is going to be a fruity flavor, since wine at its base is fruit juice. The second level is flavors created in the winemaking process such as pepper or vanilla. The third level is smelling the vessel that may have had a hand in making the wine, such as oak or leather.
- Get the right glassware: It may seem like an easy thing, just pouring a glass of red wine into a glass. But there’s a lot more two it than that. When pouring a glass, get yourself a glass with a large, rounded bowl. It’s also important to note that you want a shorter glass for lighter red wines and a slightly taller glass for bolder red wines.
- Pay attention as your pour: Another note about pouring: pay attention as you do it. As you pour, look at the wine. Is it really thick or very viscous? Does it coat the sides of your wine glass? What are you think ing the taste might be like based on those previous factors?
Once you’ve poured, swirl the wine around the glass a little bit. If you notice that there are “legs” on the sides of your glass, it may indicate that your wine has a high alcohol content. If your wine is more opaque, it could indicate its from a warm-weather region and hasn’t aged much. - Taste it: Once you’ve read the label and poured and sniffed, it’s time to drink the wine. But when you take your first drink, don’t swallow it right away. Let it rest in your mouth and take note of the different flavors. By doing this, you’ll get a good idea of what the aftertaste is like and really get a chance to taste all the flavors in your wine.
By doing some research on different red wines, you can find all kinds of great online wine sales and wine deals online that you’ll enjoy.
