In years of conducting and participating in tastings of all shapes and sizes my greatest frustration is constantly having to preach at people to “Just taste it! It won’t kill you!”
It’s a simple philosophy and I am not the first to have advocated it. While growing up we all heard the phrase “well you won’t know you don’t like it till you try it” more than once. So, why do we still need reminding after we have reached the legal drinking age and have the opportunity to explore the pleasures that wine (and anything for that matter) has bought the world.
So why not try to live by these simple rules for a while.
- Whenever the opportunity to try a wine is before you, just do it!
- The phrase “I don’t drink…..” should never be in your vocabulary when you have the chance to try something. Just try it! You might get a pleasant surprise.
- Go out of your way to try something you haven’t tried before, step out of your comfort zone on a regular basis, its fun.
- Tasting a range of wines can be tool to save you money, try before you buy, if you don’t like it, money saved!
- Remember that one mans copper can be another mans gold. Be polite, remember that if you don’t like something it’s not a bad wine, it’s just that ‘you’ don’t like it.
- You like something and really want to remember it, pull out that phone and take a happy snap. Quick, simple & easy for future reference.
- If you are in the situation of having access to try a lot of wines, if using the provided spittoons occasionally means you will be able to stretch yourself safely to try more, do it.
- Never forget that it is inevitable that your tastes will evolve and change over time, so don’t miss any opportunities.
- There is so much to explore in the world of wine, take the road less travelled when you can and enjoy the journey.

So I'll look forward to seeing you at the tasting table sometime soon and just remember......Just try it!! Please!!

Cheers

Andrew