{"id":4775,"date":"2021-08-17T10:28:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T14:28:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/?p=4775"},"modified":"2021-08-20T15:53:54","modified_gmt":"2021-08-20T19:53:54","slug":"ways-to-expand-your-wine-palate","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/ways-to-expand-your-wine-palate\/","title":{"rendered":"Ways To Expand Your Wine Palate"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Understanding what types of wine you prefer can be complicated. Unsure what to pair with that cooked steak? Learn some ways to expand your wine palate here.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As we mature in our years, so do our taste buds. Maybe you previously enjoyed triple-chocolate ice cream with dozens of toppings, but now you prefer plain vanilla bean. It\u2019s no wonder that, as we grow, enjoying wine becomes a luxury, leisure, or social experience. There are numerous ways to expand your wine palate, so don\u2019t be intimidated!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Take a Sip<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The first step to learning ways to expand your wine palate<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is simply trying a glass. Wine can be overwhelming, as it varies between dry and sweet. Some categories of wine include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Chianti, and Beaujolais<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">White: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sparkling: Champagne and Prosecco\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dessert: Ice wine and Moscato<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fortified: Port, Sherry, Madeira, and Marsala<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ros\u00e9<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wines fall into these different categories based on their growth periods, their fermentation methods, their added flavors, and the grapes from which they\u2019re made. Where you choose to start is up to you!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Join Wine Events<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/virtual_tasting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WTSO\u2019s Virtual Wine Tastings<\/span><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Explore the world of wine with your friends, family, and colleagues from anywhere! Customize your experience with many preferences, including the varietals to taste, dietary-friendly food &amp; recipe pairings, and the option to add a wine expert to the event.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check Locally<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you aren\u2019t sure what wine to purchase for yourself, take wine parties and events into consideration. You can find restaurants, wineries, and sampling events within and outside your community. Events may even offer discounts if you purchase bottles that same day.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Invite Your Friends<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You might know a wine snob or two; how about inviting them along? Someone with wine experience can steer you in the right direction and make public tastings feel less intimidating.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sample with Dishes<\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pairing Foods<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Palate interaction is an exciting experience. Understanding what foods to sample with which wines heightens all the flavors and textures. An example is a red Cabernet Sauvignon: due to its high acidity and full-bodied black fruit and cherry profile, it would pair nicely with rich and savory foods, including:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Red meat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Braised dishes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Potatoes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gorgonzola cheese<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Specialty restaurants often offer wine and cheese boards. Another option is creating your own charcuterie board by purchasing a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/weeklytasting\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">wine tasting box set<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and searching locally for cheeses. The selections at Wines \u2019Til Sold Out rotate regularly to refresh our expansive catalog. The options are right at your fingertips.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hopefully, today you have achieved a better grasp of wine flavor and palate exploration. Some samplers explore wines from dry to sweet, but you might consider going the opposite direction. Don\u2019t worry; everyone starts somewhere. The world of wine is vast and fun!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understanding what types of wine you prefer can be complicated. Unsure what to pair with that cooked steak? Learn some ways to expand your wine palate here.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":4776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[339,336,340],"tags":[475,479,476,478,473,480,481,307,477,30,4,474,127,386],"class_list":["post-4775","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wine-101","category-wine-learning","category-wtso-features","tag-expand","tag-food-pairing","tag-learn","tag-pairing-food","tag-palate","tag-sip","tag-sipping-wine","tag-tasting","tag-virtual-tastings","tag-wine","tag-wine-101","tag-wine-palate","tag-wine-tasting","tag-wines"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4775"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4784,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4775\/revisions\/4784"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4775"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4775"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wtso.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4775"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}