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Clockwise from top: Happy vendors pour
their wares to even happier tasters at the
San Diego Wine & Food Festival. Right:
Tasters belly up to the bar at Miner Winery
in Napa. Ron and Mary James enjoy a glass
of bubbly at Iron Horse Winery in Sonoma .
Bottom: A private tasting in Healdsburg.

f you’re in that category, don’t fret — almost any upright sauvignon blanc that exudes aromas of cat pee or his fancy
and relatively cogent adult has the potential to become a French Bordeaux that tastes like the floor of a barnyard.
decent wine enthusiast. It’s not that hard, like anything
Ielse in life it takes a little dedication and practice, practice, If you practice diligently tasting and learning about new
practice. wines, you’ll find that your preferences in wines will evolve.
It’s called educating your palate. A wine that makes you gag
So how do you begin your path to wine enthusiasm you ask? today may well become a favorite next year and vice versa.
Here’s a few things that may help make your wine education You and your palate have moved on. It’s like when you were a
a de-vine one. kid and hated asparagus or Brussels sprouts. As you grew up
and became more experienced with foods, you began to love
Be comfortable liking the wines that taste good to you. asparagus. Although Brussels sprouts still suck.

You are the expert when it comes to wines you enjoy, and As you taste and learn about new wines, you will discover the
that’s the way it should be. Everyone’s palate is different and distinctive flavors and characteristics of different varietals
evolving. A wine that tastes good to you is a right wine for you (kinds of grapes). And you’ll find that the characteristics of
at that period in your wine journey. Even if the wine smarty wine made from the same varietals may differ from country
next to you gags on it and spits out. And its OK to gag on the to country, vineyard to vineyard and wine maker to wine mak-
wine smarty’s favorite over-the-top, acid-bomb New Zealand er. You’ll experience wines that have complex layers of flavors

48 Wine Dine & Travel Winter 2015