easycook.com~Steve Knight's Wine Tasting-Part I

Welcome to the wine pages of easycook.com. I want the comments and reviews here to be accessible to everyone, from experienced wine enthusiasts to those who would like to know more about wines but find it a bit confusing when it comes to picking a wine. I think the enjoyment of good wine with a meal is one of the more pleasurable activities life offers. I also think many people don’t avail themselves of this pleasure because they feel intimidated by some wine reviews and are perhaps a bit overwhelmed by all the terms and phrases we use to describe wines. I want this to be a very user-friendly area. I’ve been drinking wine with dinner regularly for

many years. I’ve taken courses with some fine teachers, and have participated with some very distinguished colleagues in judging wines at the Los Angeles County Fair for over half-dozen years. Yet I still find it challenging much of the time to select a wine from the shelves of a market or wine shop, or from a restaurant’s wine list. After all, wines are produced all over the world. Wines from the same grapes from the same producer vary distinctively from one year to the next. Wines from the same grapes made by different producers vary significantly. And so forth. How can any of us know all about all of them?

Of course, if I wanted to drink the same wine everyday, it would be a lot easier—and also a lot less interesting. And that’s something I hope you’ll think about as you visit this site. Part of the enjoyment of wine, like the enjoyment of food is experimenting with new flavors and tastes. There is some risk involved. Sometimes you pick a wine that disappoints, just as you sometimes order a dish in a restaurant that disappoints. So you make note of it and don’t pick that one again. As these pages develop I will try to provide information through links so that those less familiar with varieties and other wine terms will be able to increase their knowledge and approach the enjoyment of wines with more knowledge. And enjoyment is one of the key words to this whole discussion. If you find you truly don’t enjoy wine.

Don’t drink it. Period. If, however, you don’t enjoy it because you think you don’t know enough about it, then stay with us, visit this site often and accept my invitation to offer your feedback about what you read.

Now let’s start looking at wines. You’ll notice that the majority of wines I buy will probably be in the $8 to $12 range. Sometimes I’ll spend more for a special occasion. Sometimes I’ll spend less if the wine looks really promising, though I’ve learned that spending too little can be risky. I’ll tell you what I paid and where I bought it if the information is readily available.

Let me know what you’d like to see here, and I’ll do my best to structure this section to your liking. Email me at Steve@easycook.com.