I recently read a piece in Wine Spectator (March 31, 2018) by Matt Kramer. It was titled "It's Really Very Simple." He started off by stating "The temptation for all wine evangelists...is to somehow make wine simple." He then goes on to say "Although the reality is that wine, fine wine anyway, is anything but simple, the temptation to simplify is irresistible."
And, yes, I started EverWonderWine.com and my weekly blogs in order to make wine more understandable and simple. So, I guess I too have fallen into the temptation. But, I really think there is good reason to try to simplify wine, although I admit it's sometimes difficult.
As I started out writing blogs for my EverWonderWine.com website, one of the requests I got was "Just tell me what wine I should buy." I have regularly struggled with this request. It's a simple one. Yet, I have always found it to be a difficult one to address.
The problem with this simple request is that everyone's palate for wine is different. There have been plenty of times that I've said "Oh, wow! This wine is really nice!" and had someone else try it, make an ugly face and shake their head and exclaim "No! I don't like that at all."
So, what I have continually tried to explain (in simple terms!) is that wine appreciation is a journey. You shouldn't expect to start with exceptional quality wines and immediately like them. But, if you truly want to try to understand and appreciate wine, you have to start somewhere; anywhere. And, because our brains are wired to like sweeter things, it's often sweeter wines or bubbly that people with start with. Or, a very fruity rosé wine that maybe isn't that sweet but has lots of bright fruit flavors. But, you have to jump in somewhere. And, give it time.
It's so simple! Right? Well, at least I'll keep trying. Cheers!