The Taste Temptation

How many times should you try a new wine to decide whether you like it or not? 

A seemingly lazy answer would be, “Zero. I can’t be bothered.”  In our increasingly hectic lives, we are constantly bombarded with marketing messages laden with temptation or guilt, so to make many parts of our life easier it is often fair enough, even essential, to reject the opportunity to try new things and to stick to what we’ve always bought.  I sympathise, but since I believe wine is special, one of life’s ultimate pleasures, and that part of its intrinsic pleasure is its diversity, I’ll go on tempting you to try new wines.

Let’s say you did want to explore a bit: how many times should you try a wine before deciding whether you like it?

Once would seem a fair answer.  Indeed that’s the way we encourage you to buy for home at Summertown Wine Café, by tasting the wines and not relying on what the label says.  The advantages of tasting are:

• only you know what you like,
• you can explore and discover different varieties, styles and regions easily,
• it saves you a fortune by avoiding  dud wines, and,
• it’s great fun!

Yet I concede that for some wines one taste is not enough.  On the one hand there are ‘showy’ wines that stand out in a tasting because they are bold, but lose their appeal on their second glass or can overpower the food you might wish to match it with.  Conversely there are those wines which can seem reserved, and it isn’t until you’ve relaxed with a whole glass that their true, subtle beauty is revealed.   

The good news is that here at the Summertown Wine Café if you’re not quite sure about any of the wines during a tasting you can kick back with a glass, 375ml carafe or bottle; perhaps order some delicious olives or cheese from the menu; and really make sure of your choice for home.  Tempting enough?          

Rob Malcolm