Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine-Tasting Checklist
FACT: I only drink three beverages – water, tea and wine.
My husband Jay and I belong to a wine club and we get different types of red and white delivered every few months. It’s a good thing or else I would only drink Pinot Grigio. It’s my favorite and now that the weather is warmer – it will be my varietal of choice.
We recently visited friends in San Diego and went vineyard hopping – which is where we took this picture. But I’m trying to broaden my horizons because my wine palette isn’t as refined as I’d like. So you know by now that when I want to learn more about something…I make a list. So for this task I went to the best: Gary Vaynerchuk – wine expert extraordinaire and founder of DailyGrape.com.
Gary is the real deal when it comes to wine and I interviewed him a few years ago about the health benefits of wine before he blew up as a social media guru as well. He was sweet enough to make me a list of rules for tasting wine – but why did he have to pull rank on my favorite wine?
Wine Tasting Checklist
by Gary Vaynerchuk
1. Know What You Like! It’s the most crucial point to enjoying wine, just like food! Don’t be ashamed if you like sweeter wines or only like whites.
2. You Gotta Try Different Things. Don’t be pigeonholed and drink Pinot Grigio like it’s got the cure inside. Try new wines with the same flavor profiles- any knowledgeable sommelier or wine shop employee can help you.
3. Stick to Your Budget. There are a lot of great wines for under $10 and a ton under $20. Just because you might spend more, it doesn’t mean it will taste better for you!
4. Let it Breathe. If you buy a young red wine, many will benefit from some time open before drinking it. Even a half hour can make a huge difference in how the wine tastes!
Gary also sent me some good stuff on wine collecting but I’ll hang onto that delicious info for a future post. But in the meantime — Pinot Grigio please! (Ok, Ok, — I’ll be good and try something new!)
Gary Vaynerchuk is the New York Times bestselling author of “The Thank You Economy” and “Crush It.” He’s also the founder of DailyGrape.com where he tastes several wines a day and tells you exactly what he thinks! He also recently launched a Daily Grape app.
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Gary definitely knows his stuff, and his advice to branch out is so true. My go-to alternative to Pinot Grigio is either Gavi or Soave. A lot of restaurants only carry P.G., Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc though, so when you find one that has alternatives, definitely give them a whirl!
Hi – thanks for reading and for the great suggestions! I will add those to my list.
It’s great to meet someone else who drinks the same 3 beverages as me (water, tea and wine)! Thanks for sharing this article!
Thanks for reading — and it’s true…you don’t need much else than wine, water and tea! haha
Love this list! I’ve seen a few of Gary’s videos and they are very interesting. I just finished a short wine course, so all things wine interest me even more now.