A beginner’s guide to… Wine Erica daniell

Wines differ by more than just color Red? White? OR

They also differ by varietal and region New World Identified by varietal Includes cabernet, pinot noir, moscato, chardonnay, etc. Regions include the Sonoma Coast in California, the Marlborough Region in New Zealand, the Paso Robles region, and many, many more! Old World Identified by country or region Wines are European (where they get the name “Old World Wines”) Include reds, whites, and roses

Dry vs. Sweet I hear quite a bit of debate among my customers about the virtue of dry versus sweet wines. To many of them, varietals are cut and dry in their categories. Red wines tend to be drier than white wines, with cabernet being the epitome of dry and moscato being the poster child for sweet. But really, it’s much more complicated than that…

Dry Wines I’ve found that when my customers refer to dryness, they seem to actually be talking about the acidity. A wine can, actually, have elements of both sweet and dry. Best cabernet I’ve ever had

Sweet Wines There is a time and a place for sweet wines. Generally, they are paired with appetizers or desserts, and are sometimes used as a nightcap. There are some very poignantly sweet wines, like moscato, but I prefer the semi-sweet reisling. If you don’t think you know anyone who likes sweet wine, trust me: you do. Most Geil wines are awesome, but this reisling captured my heart and palate at first taste.

The Most Important Thing The most important thing to remember is that no two wines are created equal. There really is a wine for every palate!