Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I had the pleasure and benefit of being just a short drive away from one of the most well-known wine regions in the world – Napa Valley. Since I turned 21 years old, I’ve been making regular trips to Napa and nearby Sonoma to indulge in the amazing wine this region has to offer. So naturally, I learned the basics of wine tasting pretty quickly.
Last year, I went traveling with a group of 20-somethings, and we stopped in St. Goar, Germany, for wine tasting. I was shocked that about half of our group had never gone wine tasting before. I realized then how spoiled I’d been with my proximity to Napa!
Tasting a region’s wine provides you with incredible insight into the passion, work ethic, and food preferences of a people. It’s an amazing part of travel, one that should absolutely be experienced in region after region, all over the world.
Here’s a little “Wine Tasting 101” insight into how to properly go about your first wine tasting. Commit it to memory and you won’t stick out…even if you’re tasting with wine veterans!
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Have you ever been wine tasting? What was your favorite wine varietal? Let me know in the comments below!