What's the best bottle to take to a dinner party? What can you pour before a night on the town? Wine editor, book author and comedy writer Marissa A. Ross shares her best tips for drinking wine like an expert.
Don't sip your wine 鈥� chew it (草莓传媒's Rachel Nania)
WASHINGTON 鈥� Wine experts aren鈥檛 born experts.
Take, for example, . Nowadays, she鈥檚 the wine editor at and the author of 鈥�.鈥� But not too long ago, she was a struggling comedy writer in Los Angeles who blogged about her love of inexpensive wine in her spare time.
鈥淭here are videos on the internet of me drinking $3 wine out there, for sure. For years, I wrote these reviews that no one read. I鈥檇 get like 14 hits a month,鈥� Ross said.
That all changed when New York Magazine鈥檚 Grub Street about Ross鈥� blog. Suddenly, wine became a much bigger part of her life.
Ross鈥� goal, from the beginning, has been to help people better understand wine, without all the pomp and pretentiousness (and without spending an entire paycheck). Want to get started? Here are a few tips for drinking like an expert 鈥� no sommelier course required.
Get a better grasp on the taste 聽Ever read a wine review and stumble over the description? (Can wine really taste like leather and dirt? Where did the reviewer get that from?) In order to better pick up on underlying flavor notes, Ross says you need to get rid of distractions. Don鈥檛 gulp from the glass while simultaneously cleaning out your inbox in front of the TV. Take a minute and focus on the drink in front of you. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really important, if you want to start tasting wine, to really sit down with it and taste it and be present,鈥� Ross said. Her biggest tip when it comes to tasting is to chew your wine 鈥� just for a sip or two. 鈥淚t ends up pushing the wine throughout your mouth 鈥� that sounds so weird 鈥� but you end up tasting more of the wine if you chew it. And you鈥檒l end up tasting things that you didn鈥檛 normally taste if you were just sipping it,鈥� Ross said.聽
(AP Photo/Luca Bruno)
AP Photo/Luca Bruno
Picking out a wine: Two things to look for on the labelOften times, wine labels don鈥檛 come packed with a ton of information, but there are two things to pay attention to when picking out a bottle. First, note the varietal and start keeping track of those that you like 鈥� be it pinot noir or sauvignon blanc. Next, look at the region where the wine is from. Chances are, if you鈥檝e enjoyed a cabernet franc from the Loire Valley and find another cabernet from the same region, you won鈥檛 be wasting your money. Blind buying can occasionally result in a pleasant surprise, but most of the time, it doesn鈥檛 do you any favors.
(AP/Remy de la Mauviniere)
AP/Remy de la Mauviniere
The best wine to drink after a long dayHaving one of those days that just doesn鈥檛 seem to end? Ross says the best wine to come home to is one 鈥渢hat鈥檚 a little on the fuzzy side 鈥� that makes you feel like a little bit of a hug.鈥� Try a zinfandel or a malbec, even a burgundy or a pinot noir. 鈥淪omething that鈥檚 red and a little warm and fuzzy, just to say, 鈥楢hh. My day is done. I can just relax and feel good in my pajamas now,鈥欌�� Ross said. 聽
(AP/Eric Risberg)
AP/Eric Risberg
What to drink before an evening outSometimes, there鈥檚 nothing better than sipping on a glass of wine while you鈥檙e getting ready for a night on the town or even a more quiet gathering with friends. For this occasion, Ross is a fan of vinho verde. 鈥淚t has a really nice acidity; it鈥檚 really light so you鈥檙e not going to fill up,鈥� Ross said. Plus, it鈥檚 a relatively low-alcohol wine. 鈥淪o you can have a glass or two without being too wild before you go out,鈥� Ross added. 聽
(Getty Images/Joe Raedle)
Getty Images/Joe Raedle
What to keep on hand for all occasions Friends coming over? Just want to unwind on a Wednesday night? Ross recommends gamay, a light red wine that generally hails from France. 鈥淚 love it because you can put it in the fridge, it鈥檚 super versatile, it goes with nearly every food. It鈥檚 just such a friendly, easygoing wine, and it鈥檚 not too expensive, so it鈥檚 a great wine to have around for all occasions,鈥� she said.
(Getty Images/David Silverman)
Getty Images/David Silverman
What to bring a host A bottle of wine is a great go-to gift for a host 鈥� if you bring something the host likes. Ross says if you don鈥檛 know the host鈥檚 personal taste, call and ask if there鈥檚 a particular wine you can bring, maybe even something they鈥檙e planning to serve. 聽If they don鈥檛 give you any direction, pick a bottle that is food-friendly, such as a dry riesling or gamay. 鈥淥r just bring something that you really love, and that you can share with people, and that you鈥檙e really excited about. I always think that鈥檚 a good choice too,鈥� Ross said.
(Getty Images/Ralph Orlowski)
Getty Images/Ralph Orlowski
Drink what you like This is the most important tip for enjoying wine like an expert: Drink what you like and drink it how you like it. 鈥淎dd a little spritz to your wine, put an ice cube in it if you want. Whatever you want to do to enjoy wine, that鈥檚 for you,鈥� Ross said. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 something that makes you happy, then that鈥檚 all that matters 鈥� to hell with everyone else.鈥�
(AP/Matthew Mead)
