I read a quotation recently attributed to Thom Elkjer, author of Adventures in Wine: True Stories of Vineyards and Vintages around the World. It said, “Getting to know wine is getting to know the world. More than just a complex and delicious drink, wine is history, geography, the very soil from which the grapes are grown. It opens us to life on a deeper level and it enriches and enhances our days.” I could not agree more!

Base knowledge

In my opinion, imbibers are divided into two big groups – wine drinkers and non-wine drinkers. Then the wine drinkers are further divided into those who care deeply about what they are drinking (the few) and those who don’t – (the many – most wine drinkers in Jamaica fall into this category). The good thing is that most want to learn more about this complex and delicious drink. Those who care about what they are drinking also know the importance of service and storage temperatures, stemware, wine faults, storing and ageing wine, and how best enjoy to their wines.

Blind Tasting

I enjoy tasting wines blind – as your appreciation should be based on the taste of the wine, not on the label or the price. I do know some wine snobs who detest this tasting method, as they could actually be caught liking a cheap wine.

One of the best ways to continue my journey of “getting to know wine” and to enhance the enjoyment of wine is to open a few bottles with a group of like-minded wine lovers, and more importantly, wine lovers who are from or have lived in the very countries where the wines are made. Recently we did just that when some of my wine crew and I visited British High Commissioner to Jamaica David Fitton and his wife Hisae. They were joined by other guests, including French Ambassador to Jamaica Jean-Michel Despax and his wife Line, to taste and compare notes. The 10 wines were divided into four flights (a wine flight is a term used by wine tasters to describe a selection of wines, usually between three and eight glasses): The Chardonnay flight, The Malbec Flight, Bordeaux Flight ending with a Champagne / Sparkler flight.

Blind tasting two or three wines side by side is both educational and exciting, sometimes on the verge of creating international incidents when persons vote for wines not from own their country – not the first time that would have happened, considering the 1976 Judgement of Paris where a California wine was rated best in each category that had been blind tasted by French judges.

Christopher Reckord – Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. Instagram: @chrisreckord Twitter: @Reckord