Welcome to the ninth and final part of Wine for beginners: Getting started. You have come a long way. You know the major wine types, you can taste your way forward, and you know a little about both style and serving. Now we tie the threads together into what really matters day to day: how to find your next bottle without freezing up in front of the shelf.
The good news is that you already have what you need. Choosing wine is not about knowing things by heart. It is about knowing what you like, and about daring to be a little curious. Let us make it simple.
What you will learn
- A simple and calm way to choose wine, every time
- How to put words to what you are looking for
- How to use your occasion and your meal as a guide
- How to feel confident enough to try something new
Start with what you like
The single most important question is also the simplest: What do you usually enjoy? Maybe you like a fresh, crisp white wine that tastes a little of citrus. Maybe you prefer a soft red wine with round fruit. Maybe bubbles are your favourite for a cosy evening.
Start there. Your own taste is not a beginner's mistake to grow out of. It is your best compass. Think of it like cooking: you already know whether you prefer it tart and fresh or deep and full. The same sense applies to wine.
Once you have a favourite, you can use it as a starting point and move one small step sideways at a time. Do you like a light, fresh white wine? Then there are many other light, fresh white wines to discover. You do not have to leap from the familiar to the completely foreign all at once.
Think about the occasion
A wine always lives in a context. The same bottle can feel just right one evening and a little out of place the next. That is why it helps to ask: What is the wine for?
Will it be enjoyed alone on a sofa on a Friday evening? Will it be served to many guests? Is it a quiet dinner for two? A light, fresh wine is often lovely as a welcome or on a warm day, when something cold and fresh just tastes right. A fuller wine has its strength at an unhurried meal, where there is time to notice it.
Think also about the season and the mood. Bubbles bring a light festivity, whether something big is being celebrated or it is just an ordinary Thursday. A soft red wine fits well with dark evenings and something warm in the oven. The occasion is not a rule, but a useful nudge in the right direction.
Use what you now know about style
Here is where your new knowledge comes into its own. You do not need to know it all, but a few words suddenly make you much more precise, both for yourself and if you ask for a recommendation.
Think of a couple of simple axes:
- Colour and type: red wine, white wine, rosé or bubbles. That is the first and biggest choice. Read more in The major wine types.
- Dry or sweet: do you want something bone dry or with a hint of sweetness? It matters more to the experience than many think. We have gathered it in Understand the wine's style.
- Light or full: should the wine be light and fresh or more round and filling? This is about the wine's body, which you can read about in The building blocks of wine.
When you are buying for a particular meal, let the food come first. Food is harder to change than the choice of wine, so it is easiest to choose the wine to suit the dish. A good starting point is to let wine and food be equal partners, where neither drowns out the other. A robust dish can carry a full wine, while a light dish suits a light wine. And something cold and fresh in the glass is often a lovely counterweight to a warm dish.
A little trick that almost always works: wines and dishes from the same region often go together naturally, because they have grown up side by side over generations. If you want to be completely sure, you can follow the food home to its origin and find a local wine.
If you are standing with a bottle in hand, the label can tell you quite a lot. We have a little guide in How to read a wine label.
Be curious and try something new
Once you feel confident in your own taste, it is time for the most fun part: going exploring. The best way to get to know wine is to taste. Every bottle you open teaches you something, even when it does not hit the mark.
Try to vary one thing at a time. If you know and like a particular grape variety, then taste it from a different region. Or hold the region fixed and try a new grape type from there. That way you clearly sense what difference it makes, instead of everything changing at once.
You can also let curiosity steer entirely. Choose something because the name is fun, because it comes from a place you would like to travel to, or because it is made organically. There are no wrong reasons to try. And once you have tasted, notice what you think, ideally with a few words. Little by little you build your own little map of what you love.
In short
- Your own taste is your best starting point. Start with what you like.
- Think about the occasion: who, when and what for.
- Use simple words about type, sweetness and body to become more precise.
- Feel free to choose the wine to suit the food, and remember that wine and food from the same region often go together.
- Be curious, vary one thing at a time, and learn by tasting.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose when I am completely blank?
Take your starting point in a wine you have liked before, and find something similar. Then think about the occasion and about whether you want something light or full, dry or with a little sweetness. If it is for food, let the dish set the direction.
What if a wine is not to my taste?
That is perfectly fine, and it is actually useful. Notice what you did not like, so you know what to steer clear of next time. Taste is personal, and there are no wrong answers.
Ready for the next step?
That was the final part of the series. You now have the foundation you need to choose with peace of mind and enjoy the journey from there. The most important rule is still the simplest: the best pairing is the wine you like with the food you like.
If you want to refresh something along the way, the whole series is still here, from How to taste wine to Wine and food for beginners. And if you feel up to putting your new knowledge into play, then take a calm look around the range and let curiosity choose the next bottle. Enjoy.