Absolute newbie wanting to start drinking wine - but I'm clueless, where to start?

[ErinAndTonic]

I'm usually a gin, rum or cocktails girl. But tried a few wines recently (that I don't really know what they were to know what I like) and want to try and figure out what I like and don't like.

Aside from buying many bottles and getting sozzled with a DIY wine tasting at home, where should I start?

I think I had a Zinfandel the other day which I quite liked. But other than that I haven't a clue when it comes to a wine list what I like, unless there a samples before ordering 😅

Thank you, I'll give this a go. Maybe I need to build a wishlist!

Zero experience with red. Say I don't like it but may have also only tried either rubbish stuff or a style I don't like.

I've enjoyed rose and white but other people have always picked the wine so I guess I want to educate myself about what I like so I can start doing it...
Without getting it wrong 😅

This is basically me too except I found wine later in my life! I used to knock back dirt cheap vodka and coke constantly as a student and no idea how I did that now.

I love a G&T or a spiced rum which I moved onto when I could actually afford nicer quality alcohol and my priority was no longer to get drunk on a budget!

So I feel like I'm a bit uneducated in the wine world compared to everyone else and want to try and fix that, somehow!

Yeah it was a rose Zinfandel sorry - see, shows how much I know!

I think my mum has ordered Sauvignon blanc before which I liked too (but now I'm not sure if it could have been pinot Grigio.. the complex names aren't helping 😅)

I don't think I'm quite there yet - I've no idea what is meant by full bodied, is this like a bolder flavour, or sharper? I think I do like it sweet or somewhat sweet - in terms of country I haven't a clue.

The only wine tasting I've done was in South Africa and I wish I had paid attention back then - I was mostly focused on the snacks paired with it, even though the wines tasted nice, I wasn't ready to admit it then!

This was me too! But maybe I need to find something like this again and pay attention this time..

If you have a Majestic branch near you, they are good at giving advice and tend to have wine tasters on offer.
With white wine some are much sweeter than others. It depends whether you have a sweet tooth or not which you would prefer.
Red wines can be light or heavy and unoaked or oaked. Pinot noir is lighter and malbec is heavy. I don't like smoked food so don't like oaked wine.
Australian and Californian white is quite sweet and rich and their red is heavy and oaky. If you prefer lighter wines, choose from cooler countries such as France and New Zealand.

Both really. I'd like to understand how to pair it with food - and also know a few bottles I like if I fancy it one evening infront of the TV.

My MIL puts ice in her rose/white, I don't know if that's frowned upon, but I quite like it too..

Thank you - two names for the same wine? Sounds like I need to get a notebook! I will add this to my list to try.

Sauvignon blanc is the grape, Marlborough is a region of New Zealand where they grow Sauvignon blanc grapes.

Please don't buy really cheap wine! It's usually a combination of all the worst grapes from many vineyards and often bottled in the UK rather than the country of origin. Look at the label- if it says bottled at the vineyard that's best, bottled in country of origin is not so good but better than bottled in the UK (unless its also grown here - like English sparkling wine).

Pilot Grigio (white) and Merlot (red) are very soft 'easy drinkers' - I'm not a fan but have friends who drink nothing but these 2. I like Carmenere from Chile- a red with great fruity flavours which can be drunk on its own or with food and its a fabulous purple colour. Also Malbec from Argentina- also purple and fruity.

I have expensive taste in white but start with a Sauvignon from New Zealand, should feel bright and fruity with hints of grapefruit! Chilean Sauvignon has much more of a citrus note and I prefer it.....

Wines from Califonia can be too sweet (hot climate makes more sugar in the grapes).

I really don't like NZ Marlborough

That’s why I’ve suggested googling. Shall we say you do a roast chicken dinner tomorrow : google what wine will go with it and it will narrow down red or white and the type of grapes at least, then google for description of taste and you’ll have some basic info, further it depends on shops availability around, your budget etc. shall we say you have M&S near by, go there and look a few bottles of the suggested type within your budget, read description on the labels and see which one sounds more appealing for you.
It’s how I started. If you are a newbie it sometimes too daunting to go to a specialist wine shop, as too much info.
if I’m going out I usually look a list of wines in advance online and google a few in my budget for extra info. Then I can have at least some knowledge. And you can again google what full bodied means but trying is the best way.

Every single glass or bottle of New Zealand wine has been delicious 😋 It is even better if you are in New Zealand getting a free sample as you travel round the vineyards !

I sometimes like a tiny bottle of Prosecco

I also sometimes buy a Fair trade bottle, just to try

Have a look at wine books you like the look of, google the title with PDF and you can often get a pdf version to save to the kindle app for free.

I grew up in a wine house and did the WSET certificate for work.

Avoid M&S wines, they all taste like they’ve been stored in a centrally heated warehouse on the equator. They are so out of condition by the time they hit the shelves I don’t know how they get away with it. Majestic store their wines so much better.

You could look for a wset level 1 course. You can do it as a day or over several evening sessions. Taste lots of wines but also lets you find out what the styles are. I did one in a day and it was fun and a mix of people. Some were hoping to do more courses for professional reasons but the level 1 is just a v general introduction

Thank you - I really am living up to my blonde hair colour when it comes to wine 🤦🏼‍♀️

Are pinot Grigio and Sauvignon similar? I seem to get confused between them - but maybe they are similar flavour profiles.

It's Chardonnay that's different right? More dry?

Do you have a wine bar near you? Our nearest one does a wine tasting evening where you get a small amount of 8 different wines plus a cheeseboard. Doing something like that might help narrow down what you like and i bet the staff could then give you some more recommendations on what to try next.

Pop to Majestic and taste what's on offer. Go to your local indie wine store and speak to the staff for advice, they will be passionate about wine and delighted to make recommendations for pairings.
Have fun tasting your way round a store/bar with enomatic machines like Vagabond so you can try tiny measures of lots of things to work out what you like.
Join the Wine Society who are amazing. Go to a restaurant that has paired wines with the menu.
Go to a tasting and talk to the people there or even a structured learn about wine session. Nearly all stores/wine bars have events on.
Loads of ways to learn and enjoy.

I find the experts on Saturday Kitchen to be good & have found some lovely, not too expensive wines from their recommendations. Also useful for the pairing with food side of things.
It isn’t always the case that more expensive is better but I do like Waitrose’ selection. I pay up to £16 a bottle there. There’s a beautiful South African white which I have as a treat but unfortunately can’t remember the name! It’s got so much body.

I have just downloaded an app vivino for rating wine as I drink it, I am hoping it will show trends for what wine I like so I know what's worth spending money on. I already know I like expensive French wine and I don't like Sauvignon Blanc.

I use an app to track beer too (called untapped) and found this really useful for figuring out I don't like IPA but I do like sours. Hoping to increase my wine knowledge to match my beer.

Despite how it sounds, I'm not actually a huge drinker, I just like to get value for money!

So many great ideas - thank you all so much!

Pinot Grigio is different to Sauv blanc, but Sancerre tastes different to a NZ Sauv Blanc but it’s the same grape grown in different environments.

They’re all different really.

There’s nothing wrong with liking Rose either, the French have been making rose for years and some white wines are made with black grapes that haven’t been allowed to take the colour like champagne is a mix of red and white but they take the skins out promptly so it’s white. If they leave them in a little while you get pink champagne.

If you like sweet wine you'd like Gallo moscato.

Wine snobs tend to turn their noses up at sweet wines.

You could search for 'dessert wines' if you find sweet is your thing.

I like very different wine's depending on whether they are just for drinking or having with food.

The general rule is red with meat/cheese and white with fish/creamy sauces.

Be wary of the calories though.

Wine is much more fattening than drinking spirits with no cal mixers.