Dave's Tasting Tips

David Ferrie

My first rule is…throw out all the rules! Drinking wine is suppose to be fun; not pressure and intimidation, Drink what you like!  If you like Chardonnay, drink Chardonnay. Most of the time, I drink as big a red as I can get my hands on – even if I’m eating fish. If you feel as though you want to expand your sphere of the wines you like to drink, you need to do much more tasting. Always ask if the wine guy at your shop has anything open and then ask to taste it – even if you think you won’t like it. Any wine has the potential to surprise you.Go ahead and ask to try one or two wines at the restaurant before you order. It really is the only way you’ll know for sure if you like a wine. I’m not embarrased to ask friends at my table if I can taste their wines. In fact, on occasion, you’ll see evrybody at my table passing their wine glasses around. (Incidentally, we all have great immune systems.) Finally, go to wine tastings. It’s a great way to taste professionally selected wines and get an idea of what it is your taste buds are sensing. Now some wine bars offer tastes you can buy, so if the wine bar has 30 or so wines that they pour, you could buy 30 tastes. Just be sure someone is driving you home that night.