Do you prefer a red? Or a white? Perhaps a rosé? Picking out the right wine—even answering that initial question—can seem like quite the chore, but the wine connoisseurs around you are eager to help with any question you could possibly have.
Going back centuries, wine has played an integral part in bringing together the community. Back then, the options were limited. Walk into any grocery store today and you will see an overwhelming selection of fancy-sounding names. So, naturally, you go ahead and grab whatever you’ve gotten in the past.
“You know that every time you buy that cider or you buy that beer, you know you’re going to like it because you’ve had it before,” Ted Seifert, owner of Seifert and Jones Wine Merchants in Bellingham, says. “If you’re not interested or intimidated, you have the tendency to veer away.”
Photograph by Logan Schreiber
Seifert, with his 35-plus years of wine experience, opened up Seifert and Jones in 2013 alongside now-retired Diane Jones. Seifert says that entry into the wine world can come from simply asking those with experience.
“In the wine world, success is not [guaranteed] every time,” Seifert says. “Once you do open the book, there’s so many chapters to wine. It’s one of the oldest professions out there. Don’t be afraid to say ‘I don’t know anything about wine’—that’s what we’re here for.”
More than likely, you will run into wines you don’t like, but you shouldn’t let that stop you. Seifert says that wine tastings are one of the best opportunities to try new wines for cheap and can help you expand your palate.
“Stand up for your own palate, and your palate will change over time as you get deeper into it,” he says. “The number one way to experiment with minimal dollars—go back to a shop that does tastings.”
Say you can’t make it to a local wine store, but you still want to try a few intro-level wines to get into. According to Seifert, three beginner—but not basic—wines to experiment with are Vinho Verde, dry rosé, and Portuguese tinto wines from the Alto Douro region.
These wines typically cost between $10-$20, making for inexpensive opportunities to challenge your taste buds.
Vinho Verde
Translated as green wine in English, Vinho Verde refers to wine from a region in northern Portugal that produces mainly white wines while also producing some reds and rosés.
Photograph by Logan Schreiber
Vinho Verde is a great choice for the summertime, as the spritzy taste and low alcohol percentage make for a delightful drink as you sit out and enjoy the sun. The flavor notes can range from lemonade-like citrus to a smooth floral flavor, or a delicate peach and other fruit flavors.
The wine gets its “green” classification due to the region’s lush beauty, lying between the Atlantic Ocean and mountain ranges, contrary to the popular belief that the grapes are picked early and give the wine a bit younger, fresher taste.
Dry Rosé
Many people’s introduction to wine is from sweet Rosé, but if you want to explore more, dry Rosé can be a good step towards more complex flavors.
The “dry” term simply means that there is little to no residual sugar left when the making of the wine is finished, ending up with a crisp feel. This is typical of many red wines.
Rosé is a type of wine that can come from multiple regions around the world and be made with a variety of complex flavors and grapes, so there is a lot to explore. Rosé, contrary to most whites and reds, takes only a portion of the grape’s skin color during its creation, hence its softer red or pink hues.
Like Vinho Verde, rosé makes a great treat for the summertime, but is enjoyable at any time of the year. Rosés can range from many different flavor profiles, including citrus and berries, while also containing flavors of mint, rose and hibiscus flowers and bell or black peppers. The flavors can seem strange, but best believe that they combine to make flavors that will make your taste buds dance.
Alto Douro
Again, we have a wine from the grapes of Portugal. This time, along the terraced mountains that surround the Douro River. This region has produced wine for over 2,000 years and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Photograph by Logan Schreiber
Wines from this region are typically rich reds and red blends, with more than 80 different types of grapes that lend to a wide variety of flavor profiles. “A Beginner’s Guide to Douro Wines” explains that the most prominent wine of this region is port, a fortified wine with an added spirit, usually brandy. Flavor profiles can vary by age: younger ports are typically vibrant and fruity, and older ports aged in barrels usually have a smooth, nutty taste.
The Alto Douro region also provides table wines, or your typical reds, whites, and rosés. Reds will typically have flavors of dark fruits, spices, and perhaps a hint of tobacco or leather. Whites can be fresh or rich with citrus and stone fruits. Rosés will be full of floral and berry flavors.
Photograph by Logan Schreiber
Either way, inexpensive wines come easier than you might think. But what if you want to spring for a more expensive bottle, but you’re worried about spending $50 or more on a bottle that you might hate?
Hannah Green, an employee of Seifert and Jones, suggests involving friends.
“When I was getting into wine, I organized a weekly Wine Wednesday with my friends,” Green says. “Everybody would bring $15. I would set the theme, and I’d buy the wines. That really opens up an understanding, and it doesn’t have to be expensive—everyone pitches in.”
Wine has been a celebratory delight for thousands of years, and it doesn’t show any sign of stopping soon. To Seifert and many others, wine is so much more than just a drink.
“It’s about place,” he says. “It’s about history. It’s about farming. It’s about families. It’s about art. It’s about living.”
To immerse yourself in the world of wine, getting started can be as easy as visiting your nearest wine merchant with a few friends, and pooling your money to buy a recommended bottle or two. Then sit back and laugh with your loved ones as you enjoy this millennia-old tradition. Saúde!
