Did you like your very first sip?

[racheld]

Is there hope for me? I read the articles, I hear the words, I see the colors, inhale the aroma, CRAVE to enjoy the flavor and nuance and experience of wine.

We buy a nice bottle, have all the proper expectations, open and pour and then I have to squinch up my face and gingerly take a wee sip, because the taste of ANY kind is just unpleasant. My husband is not a wine-drinker either, but he can at least finish his glass at a dinner party. Mine just sits there, mocking, as our hosts discuss the interesting points which I will NEVER understand, but really, really want to. I am not a just-turned-legal-age novice who is just starting out---this has been going on for YEARS. I just cannot swallow the stuff--there's a bottle of Tawny Port in our cabinet that I've managed to sip maybe six glasses of over the past year, but it's sweet as Koolaid.

I want this so much---the mouthfeel and the scent and the fruitiness and woodsiness which I read about. This industry has survived for millenia, with great hordes joining in to shout its praises, buy its wares, enjoy its ecstasies.

Am I just cursed with a stubborn palate, and is there any hope of redemption?

rachel

[DTBarton]

You could just have a palate that doesn't like wine, not that there's anything wrong with that!

1. Do you like any alcoholic beverages? Some folks really don't like alcohol or are mentally turned off by it (don't like feeling any buzz, had an alcoholic relative, etc.)

2. Sounds like you've tried wine with knowledgable people, i.e. they were probably serving decent stuff. I have had friends who said they didn't like wine, but this opinion was hungover from college where they'd only tried Boone's Farm or something. When i gave them some decent wine, they said, Oh, that's very different!

3. Try to find a friend whose culinary experience you trust and have them pick a good wine/food combination to try. Some folks don't get the wine thing by itself but can taste the glory of a good match.

[Jeffy Boy]

Start with something white, fruity and sweeter - like a German reisling. Then move down through drier whites - always cold, then across to a beaujolais (also cool) before moving on to the big reds. Pairing them with an appropriate food is a big help.

[Chris Cognac]

I really hated wine and never gave it much of a try until the last few years. Now I drink a few bottles a week and find I love a good Merlot. I am one who says that it will grow on you as you develop a palate for wine.....but I am also the guy who until this year was a "2 buck chuck man".

[Rebel Rose]

All good advice so far. Sometimes the alcohol is a bit much for someone not used to it, as the dryness of most reds. Jeffy's suggestion to start with wines like riesling and beaujolais is a good one.

You could also try cutting red wine with a little sparkling water at first. In Europe, children are given a little wine and water at the family evening meal. (Although I would do this at home, so as not to offend your hosts.)

[touaregsand]

I had my first sip when I was five. I knew at that moment I was born to be a boozer, others aren't. Starting off with friendly wines, i.e., cheap dates, but satisfying is a good way to start as mentioned upthread.

[jrt]

I'd like to add that having an experienced guide is worth the person's weight in gold. Any reputable wine shop would love, especially on a slow day (try during a weekday), to talk you through a few things and maybe even give you a few tastes to see what might turn you on.

Perhaps for me, though, the key was food. While today there are only a few classes of wine that I would feel the absolute need to enjoy with food, when I first started it was imperative that I enjoy a few nibbles of something I liked and was comfortable with as I drank the wine.

I was lucky enough to have both a guide and some food -- I found I absolutely loved many different reislings, and now drink basically every grape I know of.

It's true, though, that the earlier you start the easier it tends to be. Just remember: anything truly enjoyable comes at a cost.

(Also, there's a lot of crap out there -- not that you're drinking crap -- but the landscape is full of deadly mines, IMHO.)

Edited March 16, 2005 by jrt (log)

[Busboy]

You might want to consider beer.

If it's that hard just to force down a sip, you should probably stop trying and you should definitely stop worrying. Enjoy what you enjoy, and don't worry about the rest.

Remember what mom said: "if everyone else wrote about the mouthfeel and the scent and the fruitiness and woodsiness of jumping of a bridge, would you jump?"

[racheld]

Thank you all SO much for your interest and your kind advice.

I'm gonna keep trying. And Charles, I feel the same way about beer, just cannot swallow it without a grimace. But I LOVE your Mom's advice.

rachel

[Busboy]

Thank you all SO much for your interest and your kind advice. 

I'm gonna keep trying.    And Charles, I feel the same way about beer, just cannot swallow it without a grimace.  But I LOVE your Mom's advice.

rachel

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As long as you're not ruining a good meal by stressing over the wine, I'm jiggy with that.

PS, a couple of shots of chilled vodka will help lessen the stress and give you the kind of buzz that makes wine writers write all that stuff.