Wine Myths: Being selective gives you a great palate

If there was ever a golden-plated tip for wine newbies that I share always and often, it’s to drink everything. As much as you can. Taste the world through the wines you pick and choose, and switch up your drinking habits as frequently as you can. 

Nobody ever became a wine connoisseur by sticking to what they enjoyed. You learn by tasting in this game, and even if you’re a happy little hobbyist, if you’re a regular subscriber to Wine52, it’s likely that you’re hoping to learn a bit more about the world of wine. Maybe you want to know why some of it is so highly regarded compared to others, or where in the world you should be buying wines from. Guess what? You can learn this through tasting.

Specialists in certain wines have spent their whole career tasting as many different wines as they possibly can to get to the stage where they know their subject inside out. A Burgundy expert might love their part of France the best, but you can guarantee they also know heaps about Australian blends, Californian reds, and Portuguese grapes. It’s like any subject—your favourite author had to learn to write first, had to read hundreds of books before they picked a genre to work within. Don’t hem yourself in. You might love Rhone rosé right now, but how will you find out how much you adore Austrian Blaufränkisch if you don’t ever give it a go?

Sign up to tasting events, buy your wine from shops who offer tasters, say “yes please” whenever someone offers you a sip of what they’re having. Try an evening class, or host your own bring-a-bottle party. Change the country you’re drinking from each month. Pick the wine from the BTG list you’ve never tried before. Every little helps.