Walking down the wine aisle of your local supermarket can certainly be intimidating, especially if you were asked to pick out a couple of bottles of wine for the casual business dinner meeting later that night. While you obviously would like to impress your boss and his invites with your sophisticated taste, the sheer amount and variety of wines to choose from is daunting.
While wine drinking is synonymous with certain European cultures, the wine culture is growing ever more popular in the United States as well. One recent study by The Wine Institute finds that Americans drank 2.94 gallons of wine per resident in 2016, up from 1.77 gallons in 1994. Americans are not only importing wines from Europe, Chile, and Argentina. The number of wineries in the United States has increased 5% last year, up to 8,702 and is only expected to continue growing.
Whether you are a novice looking to increase your basic wine knowledge or an amateur connoisseur that wants to take your expertise to a new level, below we offer a complete description and review of five great wines to make you popular in your wine circle.
Nebbiolo Red Wine
This premier light red wine is made from a variety of Italian grown grapes, which gives it an air of European authenticity. Furthermore, the slight touch of tannins that can be tasted also add a touch of sophistication so that you will not feel like a novice beginner. This is one of the best red wines for a party as the light red color is enchanting and the smell of roses will captivate your audience.
Prosecco White Sparkling Wines
While many Americans might believe that bubbly white wines are nothing more than champagne, the sparkling wines actually have a long history throughout Europe. This white sparkling wine by Prosecco is sourced from Glera grapes from certain wine growing regions of Italy. The extremely low levels of acidity and lack of any tannins make it a great “beginners” wine, without going over the top with sweetness.
Shiraz
Another of the best wines for beginners is Shiraz as it includes subtle flavors of cherry, licorice, and blackberry. The velvety taste makes it a great choice to accompany almost all types of dessert. Furthermore, if you are inviting friends over and plan to grill, this wine goes great with red meat, including lamb and sausage.
Sangiovese
If you want to impress your guests with a dry wine, Sangiovese is a great wine to highlight your wine knowledge. This Italian wine from the Tuscan region and has a high tannin content. While this might be a new flavor to some of your guests, it also combines a high acidity rating to let the subtle strawberry and red cherry flavors to emerge. This is a great option to pair with red meats.
Beringer California Cabernet Sauvignon
If you want to choose a wine from this side of the Atlantic, Beringer is one of the oldest operating wineries in the country based out of famous Napa Valley, California. Their Cabernet Sauvignon is loaded with blackberry and cherry flavors, and you can also detect a touch of oak that offers a layer of smoothness.
Any one of these five best wines will be sure to impress your guests while also showcasing your level of sophistication in the world of wine.
Characteristics of a Great Wine
Knowing a little bit about wine doesn’t mean that you have to be a full on wine snob, the type that sticks their nose deep into the wine glass, and then does the whole swirl and sip and spit act. However, having a basic understanding about what the average American wine drinker looks for in a great bottle of wine will certainly give you an advantage when making your choice.
For people who are new to the world of wine, choosing a sweet wine is usually a safe choice. While dessert wines are often considered to be a lesser quality, some of the most highly regarded wines in the world are actually sweet wines. The drier wines are often an acquired taste, and newcomers to the world of wine might find it easier to adapt their palate to sweeter wines. Currently, radical red wines are one of the bestselling and most appreciated wines in the country.
Also, it is worth noting that wines that have a high level of tannin are also a bit more difficult for newcomers to get used to. Tannins are used to add complexity to the wine, but often leave a bit of a bitter or astringent flavor that can stick to your gums or teeth. While this quality of wine can be appreciated with by more mature wine connoisseurs, it might be best to avoid at the beginning.
Harold Camaya has been closely studying the liquor industry trends for quite some time. Intrigued by the booming growth of this sector, he takes interest in penning down his views providing quality insight trends and is currently writing for- https://www.
