How to buy good wine

I’ve had some good and bad wine tasting experiences. I once went to a wine tasting class where I tasted some fantastic South African wines, but I forgot the names and have had trouble finding a great Cabernet Sauvignon ever since. I also went to a wine tasting where I was so disenchanted that I started to make up the flavors I could smell and taste. I blurted out adjectives and flavors– woodsy, earthy, apricot, blackberry, nutmeg. No one questioned me at all; it was amazing!

But as I get older, I realize that I need to learn to enjoy the wine itself as much as I enjoy the company with whom I dine. Fortunately, I was invited to a wine tasting at WineConneXtion in North Andover last week. There would be no minimal shenanigans under wine director Sam Messina’s watch!

Sam and I chatted between wines. He has over 40 years of experience in the wine industry, so I tried to absorb as much information as possible. I learned that I should save my Cabernets for heavy meals and that my best bet for a dinner party might be a Pinot Noir. Spicy food? Consider a Riesling. Also, I’m never again allowed to purchase Yellowtail. Ever. Is there any way to know what kind of wine to buy without help in the store? Sam says there are no rules of thumb. WineConneXtion does have helpful narratives with information on pairings and flavors for each wine, but if you’re like me and know little about wine, we still need to ask for help. We can’t always get a sense of what the descriptors mean for our drinking experience by reading a sign. So I asked.

This is the wine I chose when left to my own devices

I asked Sam for good wines under $10/bottle. I committed to spending $50 max. Fortunately, Wine ConneXtion imports great wine and sells it at insanely cheap prices.  They also have a tasting station so you know what you’re signing up for when you buy a bottle. Gone are the days where we’re reduced to choosing our wine based on sexy labels alone!

tons of wine!

There were definitely some upscale picks in the store, but Sam was still able to recommend 6 budget-friendly wines that would “blow me away.” He also recommended the Bota Box Old Vine Zinfandel ($15, ~4 bottles of wine) for an upcoming party since I’ll have a lot of people to serve. Here are Sam’s picks of the top 6 budget wines:

• 2006 Tenimenti Angelini Tutto Bene/Red/Ruscana/$7.19 (normally retails for $9)
• 2008 Santa Ema Sauvignon Blanc/White/Chile/$6.79 ($10)
• 2007 Domaine D’Andezon Cotes du Rhone/Red/France/$9.49 ($14)
• 2007 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon/Red/South Africa/$6.99 ($10)
• 2007 Feudi di San Marzano Primitivo/Red/Italy/$7.49 ($12)
• 2008 Venta Morales Tempranillo/Red/Spain/$6.49 ($9)

Total: $47!

There was so much helpful information at WineConneXtion that it seemed shameful to leave it in the store. It would be like bringing your cabbage patch doll home without its birth certificate. Unthinkable! And yet we leave our newly learned wine knowledge behind all the time. We’ve all been there– we buy a bunch of wine at the store for specific dishes, but we forget what goes with what as soon as we get home. I’m too lazy to Google that information later, so Sam and I came up with a little solution. If your cabbage patch doll can get a birth certificate, so can your wine.

Feel free to print out these cards and stick them in the back of your wallet. Then next time you go to the store, pull them out so you actually know what you’re looking for. If you don’t have the advantage of having a wine guru in the store with you, Sam will be with you in spirit.

Wine ConneXtion//@WineConneXtion//North Andover, MA

Tagged as: Boston, food