What Do You Want to Learn (and Read) About Wine?

Mary, our esteemed wine columnist, is away in London this week for her induction into The Institute of Masters of Wine (see her official MW biography here). So we gave her the week off and decided to turn to you, our readers, and ask you: What would you like to learn about wine this coming year?

Mary is one of the loveliest people I know, and deeply passionate about wine. We're thrilled that she achieved one of the highest honors in wine education, and we're looking forward to reading even more of her fascinating pieces on the ins and outs of wine.

So, what would you like to see and to talk about this coming year? More on the science of wine? The winemaking process? Different varieties and regions? Wine with food?

Tell us! Mary would love to hear your thoughts.

(Image: Mary Gorman-McAdams)

Comments (14)

Wine with FOOD! maybe include a few selections to pair with some of the recipe selections featured here.

I'd like to learn more about the varieties and regions...like I learned last week that petite syrah and syrah are TOTALLY different grapes. Who knew. I'd also be interested in an "if you like this wine, try..." feature with suggestions of related/similar but maybe not so well known wines to try.

I want to see something scientific(-ish) to look at whether or not decanting and/or letting reds "breathe" by various methods actually improves their taste, or if this is just a well-propagated myth. I'm thinking a double-blind taste test comparing a wine (or three) after in these different conditions:

-Straight from the bottle (well, poured and then immediately consumed, not STRAIGHT from the bottle...)
-Uncorked and let sit open for X minutes
-Decanted and let sit for X minutes
-Run through a Vinturi (or similar) aerating device.

Something like that anyway.

I know people swear up and down that it helps to go through these extra steps, but I suspect that in at least some cases it's just a bunch of hoo-ha.

Nothing. I've tried several kinds and don't like it.

I'm interested in organic wines and why they may or may not be beneficial to buy.

A comparison of Italian wines with the better known varietals of Europe/US/etc. I know what to expect from a cabernet vs merlot vs zinfandel, and I know what how a chardonnay is different from a sauvignon blanc, but Italian varietals BAFFLE me.

Nthing the wine and food request! For example, at the end of the week when you guys do the sort of recipe roundup, to have some wine pairing suggested with the week's recipes.

I'd also like to learn more about biodynamic vineyards/wine making and if those sorts of processes truly affect the taste/quality of the wine.

I'd love a wine/food pairing guide to go with the recipes that are posted. Thats a great idea.

Pair up w/AT re how to STORE it? I have a small apt, a v small kitchen, and the pantry has heating pipes behind the wall. So I never buy more than one or two bottles at a time.

I just want to learn that more people are becoming less snooty about wine. I never spend more than $5 on a bottle of wine...ever...and I never disappoint myself.

Tips for beginning a wine collection, as in which basic reds, whites, and bubblies to always have on hand (I think I have seen something like this in a book; probably What to Drink with What You Eat).

Also, which types/shapes of wine glasses should I invest in? It'd be helpful to have a breakdown of low/mid/high end products (and stem/less), and recommendations for (1) a set of inexpensive "multitasking" glasses for parties, and (2) how to approach buying nicer crystal with a limited budget.

One more, then I'm done: tips for storing opened wine.

Food and wine pairing, especially with vegetarian dishes! I seem to mainly find pairing for meat or fish.

I'd also love to have some explanation of the various grapes and resulting tastes, tanins etc. (I for instance found out only recently the Shiraz and Merlot tend to be lighter - ahem hangovers - because of their tanins)

I agree with the poster above who'd like to learn about Italian wines. I think I love some of them, but I think I dislike others, and I'm durned if I can tell the difference when I'm buying a bottle.

I'd also like to learn more about French wines. I believe Mary wrote a post about them recently (maybe?!) but I also have a lot of trouble selecting French wines and knowing what I am selecting. I do very well with New World wines, but less well with Old World, and maybe it's time my generation approached Old World wines in a new way.