This column began exploring the vast and ever-expanding universe of wine on Jan 10, 2008, and the topic was “Buying wine in the supermarket.” Since then, wine appreciation and enjoyment have seen a steady increase in Jamaica. Almost daily I receive requests for wine recommendations for regular consumption, as gifts, or for particular events; more recently many folks have expressed an interest in learning more about wine and “getting into wine”. Wine drinkers are divided into two main groups: Those who care about what they are drinking (the few — Group A), and those who don’t (the many — Group B). The latter simply order red or white at the bar (most wine drinkers in Jamaica fall into this category). Many in group A began their wine journey in group B until they tasted a wine that made them hear angels sing; they took notice and reset their thinking from “wine as a drink” to “wine as art”… then the quest began.

WHERE DO YOU START?

Try a wider range of wines; stop drinking the same thing over and over. there are a wide range of choices available. We have come a far way since 2008; shelf space for wine has increased greatly; there are about a dozen places where one can chill out with a great glass or bottle of wine. Heck, most major gas stations now have a section for wine, and some are open 24 hours.When you are out enjoying wines, take a picture of the bottle that stood out for you and write the caption ”I like this wine because ……”

YOUR WINE EDUCATION

Hundreds of books exist on the topic. The two I started with over 10 years ago were Windows on the World Complete Wine Course by Kevin Zraly and The Wine Bible by Karen MacNeil. Buy one and start reading. Hundreds of websites are dedicated to wine education; www.winefolly.com is a great one for people who learn visually. Keep reading this lifestyle section in the Jamaica Observer each week, because next week I will begin a short series on the essential topics that you need to understand in order to “get into wine”.

ESSENTIAL WINE TOPICS

Here are a few of the topics that you should understand in order to begin your wine journey. More of these will be covered in the weeks and months to come: How wine is made; styles of wine; when to drink it; how to drink it; how to know what you like; the most popular grape varietals; the other grapes; where great wine is made — Old World vs New World; serving wine — stemware, temperature, storage; wine and food; collecting wine; wine and your health; the business of wine, and many, many more topics.

“In wine, there is truth.” — Pliny the Elder.

Christopher Reckord – Information Technology Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com. You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram@chrisreckord and on Twitter: @Reckord