Choosing a wine bottle has never been easy if you are uninitiated. Fortunately, today there is a myriad of choices for obtaining some of the wines you love. You can go on to your local wine store where a wine specialist can help you make a choice depending on your taste. Alternatively, a wine subscription at a winery club is also a perfect way to obtain more mainstream and precious wines of impeccable provenance.

But, what happens when you are stuck at the shelve alone, with all the different types of wines? Deciding on the best one out of endless choices can be difficult. Fortunately, understanding some information about wines can always be helpful in such situations. First, understand your taste, flavor, and basic characteristics of wines, and you will become an expert in no time. Wine is subjective. Your perfect wine may not be someone else’s ideal. So, to choose the best one, consider these factors.

What’s the occasion?

Consider the occasion when selecting the wine. Do you want to enjoy it by yourself, with friends? Is it an after dessert wine, or is it for pairing with a particular dish? If you are pairing the wine with food, the food determines the wine choice. Lighter dishes pair with white wines while heavier dishes combine well with reds. If you want to have fun with your friends, look for a crowd-pleaser that balances both sweetness, acidity, and weight. Or you can choose both white and red to suit everyone. If you want to enjoy the wine by yourself, go for flavors you love.

Read the label

Rather than just admiring the wine label, read and understand it. An eye-catching title doesn’t mean that the wine is the best. The label should have the name of the wine, the region and variety of grapes, year of harvesting, alcohol content, and a wine description. The description contains the flavors and aromas you will find in the wine, such as citrus, apple, earthy, chocolate, plum, black cherry, etc. If the wine includes a flavor you like, chances are, you will enjoy it. If not, continue with your search.

For starters, choose a white or rose.

For beginners, it’s better to have a light but sweet wine for a start. Many starters always enjoy a sweet rose or sweet white. However, your flavor will evolve as you get used to wines. Wines with high tannins and drier ones tend to be more harsh and acidic to beginners since they have a sharp bitterness and a unique flavor. Just start with a lighter-bodied wine.

Try new varieties of grape each time.

You only get better at wine choosing with the more you explore. Always be ready to try a new variety of grapes each time. For instance, having a monthly wine subscription provides you with an opportunity to experiment with new wines every month. That way, your flavor evolves, your tastes may change, and you discover perfect flavors you never knew existed.

The takeaway

If you are a wine lover, you could spend a whole lifetime exploring the wines the world has to offer. The secret is to be an explorer. Find different avenues of sourcing wines, look at one that gives you a variety and go for it. Have a habit of making wine notes that help you track the wines you try. That way, choosing a good bottle will be easy.