Tips for choosing a wine in a wine shop

Date: October 15, 2010

The world of wine can seem a confusing place. Labels mention regions but not grapes, or grapes but not countries, or in some cases nothing at all. How does someone just getting started in wine make a good purchase at the local wine shop?

The first step, as in all purchases, is to know what you like. It won’t matter if the wine shop owner finds you the best Pinot Noir on the market if you really like Beringer’s White Zinfandel. Try a few wines in local restaurants, or attend a wine class at the local community college. Taste a wine or two from different types, and figure out what you like. Wine tasting has little to do with what “the perfect wine” is. It has everything to do with what pleases you.

OK, you’ve found that you love Shiraz and want to bring some to a dinner your friends are having. You don’t know enough about Shiraz, though, to know which are good and which are just tolerable. Go into your local wine shop, and walk around that section. See what kinds of price ranges you are talking about, and decide how much in general you are willing to spend. Check out the blurbs on the wine racks. You can usually discard the “winery notes” supplied by the winemaker – these are of course marketing material written with the sole purpose of getting you to buy that bottle of wine. Your best guideline is the handwritten notes put there by the owner – he is staking his reputation on his recommendations.

If there is a wine shop employee free, call him or her over. Explain what kinds of wines you’ve tried in the past, and then what you are looking for. It’s perfectly reasonable to say “I like White Zinfandel, and hate Pinot Noir, so what in this type of wine would I enjoy?” The wine shop employee has a good idea of what each type of wine tastes like, and can make a reasonable guess at what type of Shiraz would be best suited for you. He should give you three or four choices, and, depending on your price range, you can choose the one best suited for you.

What if there is no wine clerk available? Again, go by the ratings and by a type of wine you know you like. If there is more than one choice, write down the names of the ones you do not buy. The next time you’re in a restaurant, if you see one on the menu, try a glass of it. Also, many wine shops now offer tastings to let you sample various types of wines to determine what your favorite is.

Most importantly, remember that what you enjoy is your personal preference. No wine reviewer or shop owner is going to have your exact taste in wine. Learn what types of wines you enjoy, and keep a note of them. A list on the fridge often does the trick – a running tally of what you enjoyed and what you did not. In short order, the wine shop owner will be making new recommendations to you when you walk into his shop, as he knows what kind of taste buds you have!

Source: http://www.wineintro.com/basics/choosing.html

News and pertinent information about wine trade, wine appreciation, wine shops and outlets, wine and food pairing, wine making, viticulture, vintages, climate conditions affecting wine, new and revived wine regions etc can be found here in this section. Yats wine Cellars is much more than a Philippines wine supplier with a few wine shops, wine bars and wine outlets in Philippines where clients can buy good wines in Manila, Pampanga, Angeles City, Subic and Clark Philippines.  Yats Wine Cellars is also a rich source of information for the convenience of the growing community of wine lovers, wine connoisseurs and hobbyists.   Wine lovers in Manila, Subic, Pampanga, Angeles City and Clark Philippines can enjoy fine vintage wines in any of Yats Wine Cellars wine shopping outlets, wine bars, wine shops and wine restaurants.

The wine shop in Angeles Philippines Clark Freeport Zone Pampanga as well as other wine shops, wine bars and wine outlets in Subic and Manila are wells stocked with interesting selections of  wine from many vintages spanning over 90 years from various producers covering a wide range of prices.

As a wine collector, hobbyist or someone in the wine trade, are you concerned or interested about this also?  If so, please stay tuned in to Yats Wine Cellars’ web site to stay abreast of things to do with wine in the world.

You are welcome to post your comments and questions about any topic related to wine on http://www.YatsWineCellars.com or email Wine@Yats-International.com with your comments, suggestions, questions, purchases or inquiries on wine and wine-related topics.

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

For inquires and reservations, <a title=”Click here to contact us” href=”http://www.clarkwinecenter.com/?page_id=14″ target=”_blank”>contact us here</a>

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.