Good Wine

Just what is 'Good' Wine?

by Chris Hambleton from Champagne Tuesdays

Throughout my career in the wine trade people have always asked me, "so what's a good wine then?"

Even worse is "What's your favourite wine?" when they are looking for a recommendation on what to buy. These questions are impossible to answer briefly, in fact the answer is much more complicated than you might think. Far more important than my own preferences are the styles and flavours that you like.

In a somewhat annoying development, all my friends have stopped bringing a bottle when they come round for dinner, claiming that 'I only like plonk and you'll turn your nose up'. Not True! Show me a wine merchant who drinks fine wines every night and I'll show you someone who lives in a one bedroom flat and eats beans on toast every day.

Trust your own taste buds !
It sounds silly to say it, but wine is only any good if you like it. We all remember as children being told, 'Sprouts are lovely, they're good for you' by well-meaning parents. Maybe as adults we have grown to love things that we used to steer clear of but one man's meat really is another man's poison.

The popular conception is that the more expensive a wine is, the better it is. Well on a technical, analytical level that may be true, but what is the use buying a twenty pound bottle of wine if you don't actually like it?

Experiment
There is a strong argument for sticking with what you know, as wine can be confusing, but experiment a little and you could be very pleasantly surprised. Most people will have one wine that they buy regularly from one shop, often where they do their weekly shopping. Say you like Hardy's stamp Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon from south Australia. Next time, have a look and see what else there is made from Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon at a similar price.

Go on, be a devil and experiment a bit. You might even spend an extra pound but it will usually be a pound well spent. Maybe you won't like it as much, maybe you'll like it more, but you won't know until you try. As the saying goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again. The very best way to do this is to gather some friends and bring six bottles from the same grapes, same country at different prices. You'll have a great evening and be on your way to a working wine knowledge.

Don't ignore the New World
Finally, many people say that it is only the Old World countries, and in particular France that can produce truly fine wines. Yes Europe does make some magnificent wines but so do Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and California, they are simply a different style of product. The beauty of wine is that no one who drinks wine is wrong about what they drink. Maybe if they tried some different wines they would find something different that they prefer, but maybe not. I certainly never turn down a glass of wine, particularly if it's free!