I will be the first to admit… I am not a wine snob. My husband and I enjoy wine, we enjoy going to wine tastings, and we have a nice collection of wine. We do not, however, have the faintest idea about what wines are better than others and why. I personally like to pick the wine we drink based on how pretty the label is. Yes… I judge the wine by the cover (I can feel you cringing now, Kate!). Another plus in my book is if the wine has a fun or interesting name.
I do love to drink wine and was so pleased to see how many great wine selections there were in the Food and Wine 100 Tastes to Try in 2007 list. Taste number 40 is Southern Italian Wine. Based on how pretty the label was, I chose to order a bottle of Donnafugata Sedara. We were eating T-Bone steaks with friends and this was the perfect companion to the meal we had.
I don’t really feel qualified to critique this wine, but in plain "wine gal" terms, it was a very dry wine with a full fruit body. The aroma was sweet and the color was a deep ruby red. In my husband’s terms…"I would drink it again." So, there you have it… two thumbs up from two label judging wine drinkers!
I’m behind on posting some of my Food and Wine Top 100 Tastes challenge. We tried a couple of other wines over the weekend that I’ll blog about soon. I’m sure since my wine posts are so informative, you’ll be hanging on the edge of your chair until the next wine post comes along.
Wine labels have become wonderfully inventive, beautiful and fun, haven’t they? Recently when I wanted a nice gift for an art director friend of mine, I went to my favorite wine store and had someone there help me select a half dozen bottles of wine that not only had totally cool labels, but were decent, highly drinkable wines as well.
wine is something i wish i knew more about. i’m going to keep my eyes open for southern italian wines now. just so i look like i may know something sorta next time i’m at the wine store, stairing blankly at displays
I am so NOT cringing!!!
I am often guilty of seeing a wine bottle and thinking "What a pretty label! It must be good!" Small boutique wineries often have beautiful labels.
It’s all subjective, my friend, and don’t ever apologize about it again. Drink what you like. Just share your good finds with me!
So many wines, so many labels. Most people I meet are intimidated by wine. That is why for years I have been researching wine reviews, trying many wines, and recommending them to my friends. This fall we launched our website http://www.kenswineguide.com to share our thoughts and research with the internet world. It is our attempt to help those who want some assistance get beyond the pretty labels and buy wine that are very good and a very good value. Cheers,
Ken
Wine labels and wine names — all very colorful and inventive these days. I am often drawn to the label, I’ll admit it.
In the end, price, label, name — none of it really matters.
It’s what you like, what suits your palate.
my in laws are totally in wine. NOT ME – the only kind I like is something really sweet like a zinfandel -sp? see I don’t even know how to spell it!!!
Thank you so much for your wonderful commment – and congrats on your own little baby!!!
I’m with Janice.. I would like to like wine, but I can’t handle the sour stuff or the next day headaches. lol But! I do love sipping on a sweet wine after dinner sometimes.. so if you ever come upon something sweet, lemme know! 😀
I think the problem with me and wine is all the damn sulfites that the US gov. makes producer put in their wine. I’ll forever dig the wine we had in France…could drink a bottle and feel SO groovy the next day 😀 If I did that here…I’d be one sick monkay
Gosh, you certainly are not very knowledgeable about wines. Everyone knows you must consider the shape and color of the bottle too!
That is what I like, a real wine critique. If I like the bottle, I’ll give it a try (blue bottles are always pretty) But, if I am going to try to impress someone I always ask the person in the store who looks like they drink alot.
If you like merlots, there is a kind called King Rooster or something like that. It has a rooster on the front and it is very dry and VERY good. LOVE IT! Not too pricey either.
You are funny! I have the hardest time describing wine too. I think when I get to mine I’m going to just write what’s on the back of the bottle 🙂
I, too, feel initimidated by wine. My husband and I like to enjoy a glass now and then but we have no clue how to pair it. We always rely on the wine seller.
You choose which wine to try based on how pretty the label is? I LOVE IT! I usually go by how pretty the bottle is, I have no clue about wines except for knowing a handful of labels that are suppossed to be very good. 🙂
When you don’t drink wine, like me–I just never liked it–you sometimes feel like the guy who doesn’t get the joke everyone else is laughing at. It’s ironic too cause my husband loves his glass of wine at dinner, and my dad has a wine cellar. Thanks for your helpful comments.
Love this post Kristen! Labels are a big part of how I choose wine. Unless I’m picking a wine that I already know is good, I feel that if a vintner takes the time and dollars to put out a really beautiful, or even funny, or punny (e.g., 7 Deadly Zins), label then the wine has got to be drinkable to fabulous. I’ve discovered many good wines this way.
i’m with you, I like pretty labels :).
Kristen, I’ll look for this wine you recommended! I like Italian wine… for me there’s a super wide range in taste, some tastes like sewage water, but some can lift my soul to heaven instantly!
Once you get your head around the idea it isn’t how much you spend on the bottle, it’s about what it tastes like in your mouth and not anybody elses, that’s when you find the good wine. We’re always looking for that OMG moment as gattina says "lift my soul to heaven".