Choosing the wine that best suits you
by Kristine Servando, abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak | 07/10/2009 6:11 PM
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MANILA - The secret to choosing the best bottle of wine is not the price but the taste, a wine expert said.
Manny Osmeña, a Cebu businessman and owner of "Manny O." wines, believes that taste is culture-based. "One man's food is another man's poison. It's really trial and error," he said.
Having over 4,000 bottles in his wine collection, Osmeña lives up to his philosophy - that the best way to find out which wines appeal to you is to sample as many kinds as you can. This is what he teaches at workshops at his Cebu Hilton hotels.
Over the years, he has devised a six-month "how-to" guide on finding your perfect bottle of wine at the quickest possible time through an elimination process. Here's how:
Step 1. Find a reputable wine shop where you feel comfortable. "The biggest problem with wine is that, unlike hard drinks where you only need to remember the label, most people go to a wine shop and feel intimidated because there are thousands of different names. But don't be afraid to explore," Osmeña said.
Step 2. Be patient. You need to take time to sample wine, so open at least one bottle a week in the next few months. It's your call if you want to do this for the next three to six months, as long as you sample.
Step 3. Establish how much you want to spend. If you can only afford P500 wines, then stick to that price range all throughout the experiment. Remember, the focus here is not on the price, but the taste that best suits you.
Step 4. Now, find out if your taste is for "Old World" (wines from France, Italy, Spain, and Portugal) or "New World" wines (coming from New Zealand, Australia, California, and Chile). Generally, the Old World wines have more complex and subtle flavors. New World wines are more in-your-face, with strong flavors and sometimes 'nakakasuya'," Osmeña explained.
In a six-month period, sample "New World" wines for the first month, "Old World" wines for the second month, "New World" wines again for the third month, and so on. Pick one country for every month, and sample various wine varieties from that country in the entire month.
Step 5. On a piece of paper, rate how much you liked the wine on a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 meaning you like it a lot. At the end of the month, note down which grape variety you liked best over the others. For example, if you liked Shiraz better than Cabernet, note it down like this: "Month 1- Shiraz over Cabernet."
If the wine bottle doesn't say what grape variety it uses, don't hesitate to ask the wine shop attendants or do a bit of research on the internet.
Step 6. At the end of six months, tabulate which wines you liked best based on your score. Usually, you can tell at this point if you like certain grape varieties, whether its Shiraz or Cabernet. You can also check whether you liked a certain country's wines over others (example: "I liked the French Cabernet more than the Australian Cabernet"). This tells you if you're more of a "New World" or "Old World" kind of person.
"Now you know what to buy next time. So sit back and enjoy your wine. Remember, don't be afraid to explore," Osmeña said.
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