Yeah, there's definitely some learned skill in IDing wines by region/variety.
My "system" for picking wines has two approaches:
- Buy Trader Joe's Reserve in a variety I enjoy
- Visit local wine shop, tell them my budget and what I'm eating for dinner, and buy whatever they suggest
Both approaches yield pretty good results for not much money.
I'll leave "risking" the $5 bottles from Safeway to somebody else. The $10-$30 bottles I get are consistently good enough, and often better than good enough.
My "system" for picking wines has two approaches: - Buy Trader Joe's Reserve in a variety I enjoy - Visit local wine shop, tell them my budget and what I'm eating for dinner, and buy whatever they suggest
Both approaches yield pretty good results for not much money.
I'll leave "risking" the $5 bottles from Safeway to somebody else. The $10-$30 bottles I get are consistently good enough, and often better than good enough.