Tasting and Learning About Wine
We really believe the only way to get to know what you like is to taste lots of different wines. halfwine.com's Kevin has been involved for more than 20 years in very informal wine clubs wherever he's lived. Click here for his notes on how to organise a club and keep it going successfully, and details of some tastings that they have had.
We've put together tasting packs based on Susy Atkins’ book Wine Wisdom: A Complete Wine-Tasting Course (Quadrille Publishing Ltd, London, 2004). The book is sadly out of print (although gently used copies can still be found) but Susy has very kindly given us permission to reproduce here the pages that are the basis for some of our packs.
One fabulous resource for your wine journey is Wine Spectator. They have tons of information on all aspects of wine making and tasting and drinking; by far our favorite feature is their beautiful Know Your Grapes (Gewürztraminer flavour profile pictured below).
Another great resource for wine information is The Wine Society. We particularly like their pieces on the different winegrowing regions, as well as their How To Serve Wine (decanting, chilling, pouring) and How To Store And Age Wine guides. Their Vintage Chart is invaluable.
Wine Enthusiast is a US-based magazine but has plenty of useful articles about wine, including ratings for specific wines by region or varietal, vintage charts per country and varietal (your guide to which vintages are great, and which vintages you should be drinking vs. saving for later). We're really impressed by their features on women in wine, and women who drink wine (recently, a critique of the "wine mom" phenomenon). And we love their pieces on vegetarian/vegan wines (we have a great selection here at halfwine.com), and how to pair them with vegan cheeses (soft and spreadable cheeses with dry white wines pictured below) or with plant-based proteins (aka meat substitutes).
Finally, keep an eye on our Halfwine News page for the latest health, lifestyle and industry news from around the world of wine.