Easter dinners present somewhat of a challenge for pairing wines. Like Thanksgiving, the table is full of a wide variety of foods, with different flavors, spices, and textures. At the same time, your guests probably have vastly different tastes and opinions about wine, and you’re likely to hear things like, “I only drink red,” or (gasp), “Is there any White Zinfandel?”

Regardless, I’ve chosen these pairings that are focused on a main dish but will be versatile enough to complement side dishes as well. So whether you’re the one doing the cooking or you’re bringing a bottle as a guest, these should suit the occasion.

The classic baked ham is a mainstay of many Easter dinners. This tradition was likely born out of necessity rather than taste, when cured meats were the only ones that kept through the winter. Ham became an easy choice for the first big feast of spring. I like zippy white wines to pair with ham, like Riesling and Gewürztraminer. These can have a tinge of sweetness to them (even when dry), which really complements the saltiness of the ham, as well as any brown sugar or honey glaze.

It’s not necessary to pair white wines with ham, however. A fruit-forward, lighter-bodied red would work as well, like Pinot Noir. I would probably suggest one from California, where complementing fruit flavors are more prevalent, rather than of France, where you’ll find herbal, earthy, and savory characteristics that might clash with the ham.

The other classic Easter dinner is lamb. Here, you have plenty of options, though all are reds. Bold Cabernet Sauvignons from California will stand up well to the big flavors of the lamb, and the savory characteristics of Malbec from Argentina will complement the lamb’s gamey qualities.

But a nice Bordeaux might be the best pairing, if you want to go all-out. The blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot is powerful, brings fruit and spice flavors that complement the gamey lamb, and the earthy savoriness pairs perfectly with roasted vegetables.

Tempranillo from Spain or Australian Shiraz would also make for delicious lamb pairings.

Lastly, I’ll mention dry rosé. Is there a wine that says, “Spring is finally here!” more than dry rosé? A fresh, clean, acidic rosé, maybe from Provence, bursting with red fruit flavors like strawberry and raspberry, out on the deck in the sunshine, waiting for Easter dinner to be ready … What could be better?

A good pizza is really an amazing thing. A crust that has a slight crunch but is soft on the inside, a sauce that packs flavor but isn’t too sweet, and the right amount of the right cheeses forms a practically perfect serving of tasty goodness.

Beer has long been a standard accompaniment with pizza, but what about wine? The truth is, the perfect slice pairs extremely well with plenty of different varietals and blends, and you don’t have to spend much to find a good match.

Barbera

I prefer lighter, acidic red wines with pizza. Acidic wines are generally food-friendly, and though we often talk about acidity in white wines, there are plenty of reds that fit the bill as well. Barbera is a great example (and is quickly becoming one of my favorite Italian reds). Grown most famously in Northern Italy, in the Piedmont region, Barbera is fresh and lively, has a full, rich taste, but feels light-bodied and is relatively inexpensive compared to its highbrow cousin, Nebbiolo.

My go-to Barbera at the moment is Indigenous Selections Barbera del Monferrato. The acidity is well-balanced, with delicious red fruit flavors of plum, cranberry, and raspberry, along with earthy tobacco and leather. This one could really go with just about any red sauce pizza, be it plain or with meat toppings.

Look for wines labeled Barbera d’Alba, Barbera d’Asti, or Barbera del Monferrato. I’ve found that these regions produce the good stuff.

Beaujolais

The Beaujolais region of France is not anything like the stuffy, pretentious, elite regions of Bordeaux or Burgundy. It is decidedly not fancy, and that is reflected in the wines’ prices — so prepare yourself for bargains. Beaujolais wine is made with the Gamay grape, leading to light-bodied, easy-drinking wines. Easy-drinking wine — with an easy weeknight dinner — sounds perfect.

The Maison Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages 2011 is an inexpensive, easy to find wine. It’s light, refreshing, and fruit-forward, with plenty of strawberry and raspberry flavors, a little minerality, and soft tannins. Drink this one with your everyday sort of pizza, out on the deck, just before the sun goes down.

Chianti

Of course, we really should mention Chianti, the famed Sangiovese-based wine from Tuscany. The region is broken up into smaller sub-regions, with names like Chianti Rufina, Chianti Colli Aretini, and Chianti Classico. Chianti Classico is the premier designation. These wines are refined, elegant, and expensive. Don’t bother forking over a lot of cash; opt for a non-Classico sub-region instead.

The 2009 Marchesi de’ Frescobaldi Nipozzano Riserva Chianti Rufina is one of my favorite Italian wines. The nose is downright awesome, very aromatic, with berries, leather, earth, herbs, a little menthol, and cranberry. This is the wine you want to drink with a pizza from a wood-fired oven, with a really, really well-flavored sauce, with oregano sprinkled on top. This wine is almost too good to have with pizza, so do yourself a flavor and splurge on a few bottles to enjoy with some elegant pasta dishes as well.

Bubbles?

Yes, it’s not out of the question to have sparkling wine with pizza, especially if it’s a heavy pie. The bubbles in sparkling can help cut through all that dough and cheese. Blanc de noirs, sparkling wine made with Pinot Noir grapes, can be particularly good. Even though the wine is white, Blanc de noirs often exhibit light red fruit flavors that match well with the tomato sauce.

Pizza is such a versatile food that the list of appropriate wine pairings is much longer than this. Try a sweeter wine to counter a spicy pizza, a Cabernet Franc with veggie toppings, or a dry Riesling with white pizza.

Next time you put in a call for a large pie, put the beer back in the fridge. Swirl, sniff, sip.

2012 Nicolas Potel Macon-Villages Blanc (Burgundy): Honeysuckle, white flowers, honey and very subtle citrus notes on the nose, fresh and clean on the palate with flavors of pear, lychee, and minerality with good (but not harsh) acidity. I’m going back for more! Great value. $13 A-

2010 Castello di Poppiano “Camposegreto” Viognier (Tuscany): Mostly floral on the nose, followed by passion fruit and melon on the palate. A little on the lean side. $15 B

2012 Apaltagua Reserva Unoaked Chardonnay (Chile): Steely and acidic for a Chardonnay, with a heavy dose of lemon-lime. Inexpensive, but a bit one dimensional. $10 B-

2009 Gordon Estate Syrah (Columbia Valley): A cooler climate syrah with a good dark fruit backbone, but the intriguing savory flavors of tea, herbs, and leather put this one over the top. Great value. $13 A-

2011 Domaine Durand Cornas Premices (Northern Rhône): Earthy and a bit floral on the nose, with plum, dark berries, and herbal notes on the palate. Nice layers of flavor. $24 A-

Shaw Vineyard Rose (Finger Lakes)- Fresh strawberries and cranberries on the nose with some interesting mushroom and earthy funk, bright lively acidity and crisp red fruit on the palate. $12 A-

2009 Bodegas Tridente Tempranillo (Castille and Leon): On the nose you’ll find black cherries, dark berries, vanilla, savory charcoal and hints of balsamic vinegar. The palate is lush, velvety, with a delicious mix of dark fruits, long finish. $12 A-

Spain has long been famous for its deep, rich red wines. I’m focusing today on a single varietal, Tempranillo, which is the most-widely-planted red wine grape in Spain. Until recently, Tempranillo was typically blended with Grenache or other dark grapes, such as in the powerful Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines. In recent years, however, 100 percent Tempranillo bottlings have become more popular.

Because of its long history in Spain, Tempranillo has many, many different names, including Tinto del Toro, Tinta Fina, and Tinto del Pais. In neighboring Portugal, it is sometimes known as Tinta Roriz or Aragonez, and is often blended in the production of Port wine.

Tempranillo is temperamental. British wine guru Oz Clarke wrote in his Encyclopedia of Grapes:

“To get elegance and acidity out of Tempranillo, you need a cool climate. But to get high sugar levels and the thick skins that give deep color, you need heat. In Spain, these two opposites are best reconciled in the continental climate but high altitude of the Ribera del Duero.”

The grape is particularly susceptible to weather as well. Excessive rain makes the grapes swell and take on too much water, resulting in lighter color and weaker flavors — but the grapes will wither during drought.

Tempranillo usually makes for a full-bodied wine. The grape skins are thick, but thinner than Syrah (or Shiraz), and the size of the individual grapes is larger than Syrah. As a result, when the grapes are crushed and the juice rests with the skins, the ratio of skin-to-juice is less than that of Syrah.

What does all this mean? The color of the wine is totally dependent on the skins, and this explains why Syrah is often very dark in color. Tempranillo will not appear that dark, and it will be slightly more translucent.

The common, basic flavor profile of Tempranillo is cherry and leather, though you will typically find many other elements mixed in. The flavors are often big and bold, but the wine is usually not heavy or viscous. It is food-friendly, particularly because of its savory/fruit flavor combinations. Red sauce Italian dishes, Spanish tapas, and Mexican fare all make great pairings.

The 2010 Finca El Encinal Ribera del Duero Crianza is a delicious but complex Tempranillo. Aromas of toast, warmed brown sugar with butter, blackberries, and spices give way to a palate with nice layers of raspberry, blackberry, and cherry fruit mixed with savory dried meats. This wine will require some patience, however. Strong oak flavors and tannins are evident if you serve it immediately upon opening. But if you let it breathe for about four hours before serving, the wine calms down and you will be left with a delicious pour.

If you aren’t a fan of the oak flavors in the Finca El Encinal, try the 2009 Bodegas Tridente Tempranillo. The wine is a powerful and intense offering from Castile and Leon in the northwest of Spain. It has enticing aromas of cherries, dark berries, vanilla, and savory notes of charcoal and hints of balsamic vinegar. The palate is lush, velvety, with a delicious mix of dark fruits, and a long enjoyable finish.

Tempranillo is a more advanced wine, perfect for stepping up your game after you’ve mastered some of the styles already covered by Bottled & Corked. And remember:

Swirl, sniff, sip.

Climate has a huge impact on wine. How hot it gets during the growing season, how cold it gets during winter, annual precipitation, humidity, and wind patterns all affect how the grapes grow. The perfect season for a grapevine basically consists of a cool, wet winter that provides the soil with plenty of water; a spring with no late frosts and not too much rain; a warm and dry summer; and dry conditions right before harvest.

Grapevines go through a standard growth cycle every year. In spring, the vines experience “bud break,” when the small buds on the vines swell and open, revealing shoots of new, green growth. This is a delicate time, especially if warm weather brings bud break earlier than average, when the risk of frost is still prevalent. A late frost can decimate the early growth of the vines, setting them back for the entire season. Secondary buds will emerge if the primary ones are killed by frost, but they will not be nearly as strong.

Once daytime temperatures are consistently around 60 degrees Fahrenheit, the vines will begin to flower. The flowers are tiny, green, and tightly packed in clusters. Once bloom begins, pollination can occur. (Most grapevines used for wine grapes are self-pollinating, containing both male and female organs.) This is another point in the growing process that is very susceptible to weather; wind and/or rain can blow the tiny flowers off the vines, lowering fruit yields for the season.

The next stage is called “fruit set,” when the seed(s) and the grape form; this begins almost immediately after fertilization of the flowers. The grapes are green and hard, with little sugar and high acid levels. A month or two later, the grapes enter “veraison” when they change color, soften, and swell in size. Consequently, sugar levels rise and acid levels drop.

Depending on the grape type and conditions in the vineyard, it may be necessary to “thin the crop” in order to get better quality grapes. If too many flowers on the vine are pollinated and fertilized and become grapes, there is a greater risk of not under-ripened fruit come harvest time. The vine may not have the energy or ability to bring all of the grapes to maturity, so some vineyard managers will cut off some of the grapes to ensure the remaining fruit ripens fully.

Come harvest time, day-by-day weather conditions become extremely important. Rain right before planned harvest, for example, can significantly impact the quality of the grapes. The vines will push water into the grapes, and the grapes themselves will absorb moisture through their skins, creating fruit with higher water content and less concentrated flavors. At the same time, a vineyard that experiences a rainy August or September can sometimes be saved by a warm Indian summer at just the right moment. Wine grapes are incredibly finicky.

So how does all of this impact the wine you’re drinking? First, consider where the wine is grown. If it’s from a warm wine-growing region, like the Barossa Valley in South Australia or the around Mediterranean, the vines will probably not suffer from problems like late frosts or excessive rain, and low humidity will help keep fungal diseases and molds from forming. Droughts can be a problem but can be mitigated with irrigation techniques.

As a result of all of this, wine grapes from hot climate regions will:

• Likely have lower acidity and higher sugar levels. The grape itself is like an engine burning off acidity and creating sugar. The hotter the climate and the longer the growing season, the more sugar will be created.
• Higher alcohol content. Once the grapes are pressed and fermentation begins with the addition of yeast, alcohol is formed, fueled by sugar. More sugar in the juice equals more alcohol when fermentation is complete.
• Fuller-bodied, heavier wines. How viscous a wine is, or how heavy or light it feels, is determined by how much sugar and other compounds are in the grape. Warmer, longer growing seasons result in more of those compounds.
• More concentrated, fruit-forward flavors. Warm growing seasons with minimal rainfall means the grapes have lower water content. With a lower water-to-sugar ratio, the flavors become much more concentrated.

Obviously, cool-climate wine regions commonly produce the opposite: lighter-bodied wines with higher acidity, lower alcohol content, and more mineral or savory flavors mixed in with the fruit characteristics. Similarly, “Old World” wines tend to lean toward the cool-climate wines, while “New World” wines are commonly of the hot-climate variety. Of course, these are generalizations, and you will no doubt find heavier wines from cool-climate regions or high-acid wines from warm climate regions, but it’s good to keep these “rules” in mind when selecting wine or pairing it with food.

A few examples:

Syrah (or Shiraz) from Australia’s Barossa Valley is very fruit-forward, with flavors so concentrated it sometimes takes on a “candied fruit” or “jammy” flavor, overflowing with fresh blackberry and blueberry components. The wines are high in alcohol and full-bodied. Conversely, Syrah from much of France has the classic fruit backbone but takes on other savory characteristics, like garden herbs, leather, or licorice, and the wines are not as heavy and rarely exhibit the “candied” fruit aspect.

Likewise, Chardonnay from California’s hot-climate areas are famously rich, round, and low in acidity. The flavors are fruit-forward, sometimes tropical, and buttery. Compare these with Chardonnay from areas of France like Chablis or from the Finger Lakes in New York, and you’ll find far less concentrated fruit flavors and a more “steely” or mineral quality, as if chunks of granite or slate were thrown into the tanks during fermentation.

Again, these are generalizations, but they usually prove to be true. Using these “rules” as a guide can be particularly useful when pairing wine with food. Creamy pasta dishes, for example, might call for a white wine with higher acidity to cut through the cloying sauce: you might want something from a cool climate region, or from a grape with naturally high acidity — a topic for another day.

2011 Argiano Non Confunditur “NC” Rosso Toscano (Tuscany): Full bodied, blackberry, black cherry, licorice, mineral. Powerful, long finish, well integrated tannins. Wow! $18 A

2012 Indiginous Selections Barbera del Monferatto (Piedmont): Medium bodied, easy drinking, cranberry, raspberry, plum, hints of earth and tobacco, long finish, delicious. $13 A-

2011 Shannon Ridge Barbera “Terre Vermielle Vineyard” (Lake County): Cherry, raspberry, vanilla, pepper. $16 B

2011 Tait “The Ball Buster” (Barossa Valley): Fruit bomb with blueberry/blackberry, vanilla, licorice, smoke, and black pepper. Velvety with nice tannins. $16 A-

2012 The Gnome Knows Syrah (Languedoc): Blueberries and black cherries mixed with herbs, earth, licorice, and… band-aids? $9 B-

2010 d’Arenberg Footbolt Shiraz (McLaren Vale): Blackberries, black cherries, vanilla, spice, pepper. $16 B+

2011 Milou Rouge (Languedoc): Grenache/Syrah blend, medium bodied, earthy, dark berries, coffee, herbs. Not complex but great value. $13 A-

2011 Red Tail Ridge Pinot Noir (Finger Lakes): light bodied and elegant, cherries, cranberries, floral, hints of fall baking spices. $18 B+

2011 Penfolds Thomas Hyland Shiraz: Blackberry/blueberry, cedar, vanilla, a little earthy funk, but over-oaked and a little hot. $12 C+

More white wine, Bill? Yes, winos, more white!

It’s officially spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means it’s time to add whites (and rosés) to your cellar (or cupboard, or cardboard box you still haven’t moved from the living room). Italy has a long tradition of winemaking (and wine drinking), and though reds like Chianti usually gets most of the attention, interesting whites abound as well.

Pinot Grigio is probably the Italian white wine you’ve heard about most (or maybe the only one). This wine is commonly scorned by wine snobs for being “uninteresting” — and many are, but there are plenty that have something good to offer. This is actually the same grape as Pinot Gris, which has long been popular in Alsace, and has also become Oregon’s favorite white in recent years. Perhaps, some sneer at Pinot Grigio because of how unique and intense the spicy Pinot Gris from Alsace can be in comparison to the lighter, mellow Pinot Grigios. Ultimately, however, Pinot Grigio is much more widely available, mostly because of the volume advantage it has over Pinot Gris.

Here in the United States, Santa Margherita is the Pinot Grigio that many casual wine drinkers gravitate toward, and if you haven’t tried it before, you probably should. It has a fresh, clean citrus fruit character with good concentration. But after you’ve had one bottle, try something else! Expand your palate past the wine that you see the most in television commercials (like Santa Margherita). Is it pretty good? Yes. Great? No. They’ve done a fantastic job marketing it, driving up demand, and now it’s overpriced.

From Sicily, for example, the 2009 Antinori Pinot Grigio Santa Cristina has a bright, aromatic nose of apples and peaches, and a dry acidic palate of lemon, lime, passion fruit, and minerality. It’s a great value at only $12.

Vermentino is grown far less than Pinot Grigio but makes for a more interesting wine. The northern Italian regions of Liguria and Piedmont are where you will find it grown most, along with the islands of Sardinia and Corsica and, in recent years, in the Languedoc region of southern France. Usually light-bodied and very aromatic, Vermentino is normally floral on the nose with crisp lemony flavors on the pallet.

Cantine Lunae Colli di Luni “Lunae” is a fantastic Vermentino from Liguria, northwest of Tuscany along the coast. The 2009 has a really beautiful candied peach character on the nose, tossed with aromatic white flowers (but not perfumey) and honey. Fresh peach, apple, herbs, and citrusy wet granite make up a great acidic flavor profile.

Sella & Mosca “La Cala”, from the island of Sardinia, is less complex, but perhaps more refreshing, with its bone-dry citrus flavor profile, nice minerality, and long finish. There’s also an interesting salinity in this wine, probably due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Mediterranean Sea. This is a classic wine from a classic producer, and is popular in Sardinia as well as in the States.

Finally, I suggest trying Gavi wines. Named after the town of Gavi and made from the Cortese grape in the northern region of Piedmont (Piemonte in Italian), north of Liguria, Gavi is known for being a fantastic pairing with fresh seafood. Gavi is sometimes labeled Cortese di Gavi or, if grown right near the town of Gavi, it might be labeled Gavi di Gavi. The light-to-medium-bodied wines are very pale in color and often exhibit vibrant citrus fruit flavors. In the same way that Riesling is the dominant white wine grape in Germany, Cortese is the dominant white wine grape in the Piedmont (though it is vastly overshadowed by Barolo and Barbaresco, the big, powerful Piedmont reds). Gavis are legitimate contenders in the white wine world, but for whatever reason, they don’t get the exposure or appreciation they deserve.

On a bottle of Banfi’s Principessa Gavia Gavi, you’ll find the following legend (though the wine in that bottle is nothing great): Supposedly in the 6th century, Princess Gavia fell in love with a soldier who was guarding her. Her father, Clodomir, King of the Franks, forbade their marriage, so the lovers ran off to a remote village in what is now northern Italy. After enjoying the local white wine, the newlywed couple let it slip who they were and were taken back to the king. But when the king realized their true love for each other, he forgave them, blessed their marriage, and named both the village and its wine after the Princess — Gavi.

Whether you believe that or not, the Villa Sparina Gavi di Gavi is a great place to start. The nose is really pretty, with honeycomb, melon, and fresh-cut white flowers. On the palate, there’s a really great balance between acidity and creaminess, with flavors of apples and cantaloupe.

An even better offering is the Gavi di Gavi by Franco M. Martinetti. The nose has a great pineapple and coconut combination, along with some lime. The palate has some very concentrated flavors: pineapple, lemon/lime, honeydew, even watermelon, with a big finish. Both wines are worth the $16 to $19 price tag, and both are excellent paired with fresh seafood and shellfish dishes.

There is life beyond Chardonnay, white wine drinkers, and there are plenty more Italian white wine options beyond these three, but they’re a good place to start. Sniff, swirl, taste!

If you’re like me and want to enjoy wine to its fullest potential, you should probably come up with a consistent way to taste it. Whether you’re opening a bottle at home, trying a flight of wines with friends, or on a wine excursion in California or New York, repeating the same process over and over is the best way to taste and rate wine as objectively as possible. I recommend following six main steps to enhance your wine-tasting experience:

1. The Bottle

First, check out the bottle. Where is it from? Is it a single varietal or a blend? What year (or vintage)? Answers to these types of questions can tell you quite a bit about what to expect from the wine. Single varietals have common characteristics to anticipate, as do blends from distinct regions. And if you can find information about that wine’s specific vintage in that specific region, you can learn even more about what to expect. Hot, dry growing seasons lend to more concentrated flavors, and usually produce more fruit-forward wines. A cool, wet season will yield less fruitiness and more savory, or green (sometimes called “vegetal”), flavors in red wine.

Alternatively, try a blind tasting. Wrap the bottles in brown paper bags or aluminum foil before you pour, and trust your nose and taste buds to guess the type of wine. “This wine is a light-bodied red, has an earthy flavor, and I taste tart cherries … is it Pinot Noir?”

2. The Pour

After you pour some wine in the glass, take note of a few things. First, look at the color. Certain white wines are clearer, like Sauvignon Blanc, while others are usually straw or golden yellow, like Chardonnay. Red wines can be from light red to the darkest purple. As wines age, they take on slightly brown characteristics. As you swirl the wine in the glass, look at the viscosity, or how thick or thin the wine is. You can also examine the “legs” of the wine — the way that the wine runs down the inside of the glass.

3. The Sniff

Now swirl the wine with the glass on a flat surface, and draw it up to your nose. Don’t be timid — stick your nose right into the glass. Sometimes it is useful to close your eyes, to devote your full focus to just the sense of smell. What do you detect? You’re looking for characteristic aromas: floral, fruit, herbal, savory, etc. Write them down.

4. The Taste

Finally! Sip a small amount of wine and swish it around. You want the wine to coat every surface in your mouth. What do you taste? Sometimes wine needs more air. Swirl your glass and try again, or, with wine in your mouth, draw air in through it. You’ll create a soft slurping sound, but this is a great way to incorporate lots of oxygen into the wine and “open it up.”

You’re looking for five key characteristics:

Flavor (Fruit vs. Savory)
These are the most common descriptors of wines. Does the red wine you’re trying taste like red fruits — raspberries and cherries — or dark fruits, like blackberries? With white wine, you’ll find citrus or tropical fruits, along with apples, peaches, and pears. Sometimes, non-fruit flavors can be detected as well, like green pepper, herbs, flowers, minerality, or leather.

Here are some common characteristics of different wine varietals:

Sweetness

How sweet or dry does the wine taste? If it is sweet, you will detect it on the tip of your tongue. Sweeter wines also tend to have greater viscosity, or a slightly syrupy consistency. Dry wines will — surprise — dry out your mouth.

Acidity
You’ll likely detect acidity as a tingling sensation on your tongue. This is especially common in Riesling and Gewürztraminer but can be present in just about any wine. If you find that you like richer, rounder wines, those are typically low in acidity.

Tannin
Tannin is a compound found in the skins of the grapes that adds bitterness to the wine. As a result, tannins are almost always never found in white wines. In reds, you’ll detect tannins as a cottonmouth, puckering sensation with herbal or tea-like flavor, sometimes described as astringent.

Body
Finally, body describes the weight of the wine. Light-bodied wines are easy drinking, refreshing, and may have a lower alcohol content, while full-bodied wines are heavy, powerful, and are usually higher in alcohol.

What did you taste in the wine you are trying? Again, write it down.

5. The Finish

Now swallow the wine (or spit it out, if you’re driving or tasting a lot of wines). Did the flavors change on the finish? Did the taste last long in your mouth, or did it dissipate quickly? What about tannins: Are they soft and subtle? Overpowering? Well-integrated? Write it all down.

6. The Grade

Now it’s time to rate the wine. Did you like it? How does it compare to other wines of the same varietal, region, or price? How does it stack up against your favorite wines?

There are many different ways to grade a wine: letter grades, 10-point scale, 100-point scale, and more. Famed British wine critic Jancis Robinson uses a 20-point system, while Wine Advocate founder Robert Parker advocates the 100-point system. The easiest way to start is with letter grades. Eventually, you’ll find yourself rating many wines with the same letter grades, and you might start to feel comfortable giving them a numeric score to differentiate among them.

For the serious wino, start keeping a record of your tastings. Cellar Tracker is a great website to record all the wines you buy, along with tasting notes, and the mobile app Cor.kz integrates with Cellar Tracker seamlessly.

Usually, I’m tasting one bottle at a time: the bottle that my wife and I open in the evening or for dinner. But it’s a great experience to try multiple bottles in one sitting and compare them. Try three reds or three whites. (If you’re only trying a few, avoid mixing whites and reds, or if you must, drink the whites first.) Try three different reds and compare the differences. Then the next time, try three reds of the same varietal and compare them. Then, if you really want a challenge, get three bottles of the same wine from the same producer, but from different vintages (a “vertical tasting”).

The possibilities are endless, so start tasting right away!