Value of Wine Tasting
Let’s take a look at the act of buying wine to determine the value of going to wine tastings.
Why should you bother going out to wine tastings, especially during the week? There are so many valid reasons to not go. They almost all occur right after work, when most people need to get home to the family, make dinner, let the dog out, go work out, etc. Or you might just be “peopled out” and could not imagine talking to, or interacting with, anyone else.
These reasons and more may prevent the occasional wine drinker to the avid wine enthusiast from going out to a wine tasting, and at no point should you feel bad about it!
But if you in the market for some wine let me give a few reasons to consider the value getting out to a wine tasting every now and then, perhaps one or two reasons that you haven’t considered.
"It's just so easy to grab a bottle of wine while I am already at the grocery store." That is the single biggest comment that I hear. It is also the best way to get BAD wine!
The first value to consider is the ability to buy a wine that you got to taste! If you are buying a wine at a tasting, after tasting it, that probably means that you liked it. You can then rest assured of the value on the dollar amount that you spent for that wine, I.e. you didn’t just waste money, and most importantly, you didn’t waste your time on a wine that you won’t like once you get home. Why buy a wine that you might be anxious about, concerned whether or not it will be good? The answer is don't!
Second is the Dollar amount. In addition to you getting to taste the wine before you buy it, all of the paid wine tastings offer discounts on that wine, anywhere from 10% up to $5 off a bottle. The free tastings all offer a loyalty discount, such as Aragon’s “buy eight bottles and get $20 off the ninth.” Therefore the actual dollar value of the wine is better than, let’s say, the grocery store. That may surprise you!
So if you are going to buy wine then going to wine tasting, even for just a short amount of time, will yield you with a better and cheaper wine than you may have otherwise obtained. Oh, and you have, overall, saved some time. I call that a 3win; a win win win!
Two of this week’s Crowd Favorites; Izadi Rioja Reserva 2018 and Mettler Albariño 2021, saved me time, money, and any anxiety. So even if your weekly schedule is often against you getting out to the local wine tastings, maybe considering the actual valve of buying wine at a tasting. Perhaps that will persuade you to reconsider.
How to take a chance on a Bottle of Wine
A wrap up of some good wines this week as I finally get back into the swing of summer.
Getting back into my schedule after returning from my trip has proven to be more difficult than I expected. Several missed tastings has been the main casualty, along with my health.
Now that I was finally feeling better I was able to finish my week on a pretty good note while visiting some friends this weekend. An elaborate dinner was planned, so of course I brought a bottle of wine. I have tasted most of the wines that I have in my archives, but a few I took a chance on. The bottle that I brought to share this evening was one of my “Take a Chance on Me” wines. I will probably hum that Abba song for the next bottle!
Due to forces outside of our control, the elaborate dinner turned into a simple cookout. So, after some needed time in the cool healing waters of The Cold Hole of the Magnolia Springs River and a 1/2 mile swim it was time to open the wine I brought.
Is it truly fair to call my bottle, which I hadn’t tasted, a “Take a Chance” wine? It was from a great location, known for growing exceptional grapes of this particular variety, made by a good winemaker. Not expensive but not cheap. I felt pretty confident.
Showing up to a gathering/party/dinner, etc., with a bottle of wine is always a test, especially when everyone knows you as “The Wine Expert” (which I don’t like to be called). I had the wine at the correct temperature (66 F for this hot day) and gave it about 30 minutes of air. My friends’ wives tasted it with me. The first response from one of them was a joyous cuss word, ending with some surprise. I just laughed!
I actually rather enjoy the “pressure” of bring a wine to social gatherings. Nailing it is pretty common for me. Not always, and not to sound arrogant, but when you go to a lot of tastings, begin to pay attention to what you are drinking; the flavors, the feel, and then geek out a little on some wine knowledge, then being confident on a wine that you haven’t tasted should not be a alien concept.
The pictures on this post are the Crowd Favorites from both Aragon on Thursday and The Bottle Shop on Baylen Friday (1 from Aragon, 2 from Bottle Shop). What was my “Take a Chance on Me” wine? Ask me at the next tasting. See you then.
Congratulations to our Winners
Thank you for following us! We have much more on the way!
Thank you to everyone for following us this past year as we go on this wine journey with all of you!Congratulations to the four winners of GulfCoastWine’s First Year Wine Experience Give-Away.The winner of the Bodacious/So Gourmet Charcuterie Board for two and $20 toward a Bottle of Wine is:debdroz15The Winner of the Aragon Wine Market’s Free Month in their Wine “Cru” Club, which includes a wine profile tasting and two bottles of wine that fit your profile is;Savannah BaileyThe Winner of Anna’s Wine Shop July Tasting for Free is;devin.guidry7The Winner of 1 Free Tasting at The East Hill Bottle Shop is;Allen KeyesThe Winners were chosen randomly from a list of our News Letter subscribers and our Instagram followers. The winners' names will be passed to the venues for redemption. Please contact us if you have any issues.Thank you!
A lot of good Wine Tastings coming up!
There are a lot of wine tastings coming up starting this week into the first week of July. Some of the "only once a month" tastings are the last week of the month and the first two weeks of the month
Several of the "once-a-month" tastings are fast approaching. As we are still building our website and Instagram page, keep checking in for updates. Most of the once-a-monthers require RSVP, such as the Nest, V Pauls, and Agapi. Ana's Wine tasting, which is attached to Joe Patti's Seafood, is another great one, is usually on the 4th Thursday of the month. There are a lot of great tastings around town that are perfect for folks that know nothing about wine and the wine connoisseur. Come out and have fun.