Many ways to gain wine knowledge.
There are a lot of ways to become knowledgeable about wine…just be careful not to become a wine snob with all that newfound knowledge.
For our website Symtrek Partners, I have been writing stories about people in Wine Country that love to talk about what they do to make great wines. What makes their stories interesting is that they are humble in the way they impart their wine knowledge. Point being, it is easier to gain knowledge when the atmosphere is friendly and unassuming. Learning about wines is about you-finding what you like and understanding why you like it. Discover wines for yourself and with your friends!
In a recent article by Christa Vohs,”How To: Become a Wine Connoisseur (on a Budget)”, she lists 5 things a person can do to self educate about wine so there are never occasions to let people intimidate you. Besides, wine snobs probably have a repressed character flaw.
Of Ms. Vohs’ 5 things you can do to learn to appreciate wines I like 3 in particular: educate yourself, go to wine tastings or appreciation classes, and visit a winery. Her other 2 are: go to wine friendly restaurants and be open to new wines. But, I want to focus on the immediate self-help options.
• Educate yourself-Research is key. You can do research on the internet, go to the library, and peruse magazines that focus on wine. A good book to start with is The Wine Bible. Also, many local colleges offer evening wine education classes.
• Wine Tastings-These can be massive events like those sponsored by wine magazines or the industry. Or, they can be small events sponsored by a single winery or restaurant. Point being, listen to the presentations about the wines being served, listen to questions being ask and take your own notes.
• Visit Wineries-This is a great place to eventually end up on your effort to self educate about wine. This is a user friendly environment with a staff that is totally dedicated to educating people and selling their wines. There are no foolish questions here.
But, there is a company out there that is dedicated to working with all levels of wine enthusiast and they have all the tools at their disposal to educate, entertain and help people better enjoy the wine experience. That company is Total Wines & More. You can get something for nothing here…an education on wines.
Let me explain what makes Total Wine and More a great resource. And use it with your friends in tow.
• 50% of the 80 Total Wine & More stores offer private meeting rooms that are FREE for business meetings, clubs, fundraising and legitimate organizations. Don’t forget this facility for a team building exercise. Heck, start your own wine club.
• They also conduct formal monthly classes on wine in these private rooms for a very nominal fee ($25 per person or 5 classes for $100) Too steep for you … they also conduct free wine tastings every weekend featuring 6 wines … just look for the tasting station on the sales floor. There is a wine expert pouring and educating anyone who wants to try the featured wines.
• Total Wine & More can conduct private wine tasting in these rooms for $10 – $30 per person. Obviously they have a huge selection of wines at a lot of price points to try. They offer great packages or one can tailor a wine tasting which will best suit your needs. It is best to contact their Director of Wine Education, Robb Kimbles at bookourroom@totalwine.com if you are interested in more information.
• Total Wine has professional staff on-hand to manage all private events. Tasting and classes also include handouts, glasses, bottled water, cheese and crackers. They make it very easy.
• They also have available everything you need for your personalized event. Everything from AV equipment, to podiums, tables/chairs, microphones…and don’t forget more than 7,000 wines to chose from for your event along with on-staff wine experts.
There is nothing in it for me, Symtrek Partners or Image of Wine, in promoting Total Wine & More. Our interest is in promoting Wine Country and wine enthusiast. Total Wines is a great bargain to learn about wine in a professional and casual environment; whether you sign up for one of their many in-store courses throughout the year or putting together your own wine club and using their facilities. It is just another opportunity to get educated about wine.