In our busy lives, enjoying a fine wine paired with a delicious meal can undeniably bring us a wonderful pleasure. Wine is not only a symbol of lifestyle, but also a reflection of culture and taste. However, when faced with a dazzling array of wines on the market, many newcomers to wine fall into a common misconception: they believe the older the year of the wine, the better its quality.
In fact, learning to select wine is not that complicated. As long as you master the following few points, you can easily choose a wine you like!
❶ The year is not the only standard
Many wine enthusiasts overemphasize the year when purchasing, but in fact, the quality of wine is not entirely dependent on the year. Some wines show excellent flavor when they are young, while others require time to settle to reach their best state. Therefore, when selecting a wine, we should pay more attention to whether its taste and flavor match our preferences.
❷ Understand grading approval
Different countries have their own wine grading systems, these grades can usually be found on the bottle label. Taking France as an example, the latest French wine grading system includes AOP, IGP, and Vin de France.
AOP/AOC : This is the highest grade of French wine, requiring that the raw materials and production process of the wine must meet legal standards and be certified by experts. The bottle label will indicate “Appellation+region name+Contrôlée”.
IGP/VDP : This grade of wine can use grape juice blended from within the specified region, but only grapes from that region are allowed. The bottle label will indicate “Vin de Pays + region name”.
VDT/VDF : This is the most basic grade, mainly used for daily drinking. The bottle label will indicate “Vin de Table”.
Understanding these grading systems can help us better judge the quality and style of the wine.
❸ Value the terroir of the origin
The taste and flavor of wine are largely influenced by the terroir of the place of origin. Terroir includes various factors such as soil, climate, and topography, which jointly influence the growing environment and quality of the grapes. Therefore, when selecting wine, we should pay attention to its origin information, understand the terroir characteristics of that region, and thus judge the quality and taste of the wine.
Taking France as an example, Bordeaux and Burgundy are two famous wine regions. Bordeaux wines are known for their rich and full-bodied taste, mainly using grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot; while Burgundy wines are mainly elegant and delicate in style, mainly using grape varieties such as Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. When selecting French wines, we can choose wines from different regions based on our taste preferences and budget.
In summary, when selecting wine, we should not overly focus on the year, but should pay more attention to the quality of the wine, its taste and whether it matches our preferences. By understanding the grading system of wine and the terroir of the place of origin, we can more accurately judge the quality and style of the wine, and thus choose a bottle of wine that we like.
