How Do I Know If I’m Going to Like a Wine? 6 Key points.

One of the questions I hear most often is: “How do I know if I’m going to like a wine?”

My answer is usually simple: start by understanding what you already like.

You don't need to know every grape variety in Italy. You don't need to memorize every wine region. And you certainly don't need to be a sommelier.

You just need to learn how to describe a few things you enjoy about wine.

Once you can do that, choosing a bottle becomes much easier.

1. Start With the Aromas

When I help someone choose a white wine, the first thing I often ask is:

“What do you like to smell?”

Do you enjoy fresh flowers? Apple and pear? Citrus? Fresh herbs? Or do you prefer ripe fruit, more mature aromas, and something richer?

These details can tell us a lot.

If you enjoy fresh, floral, fruity, and crisp aromas, you will probably enjoy wines that come from cooler growing areas or grapes harvested a little earlier.

Think about aromas of:

• Apple

• Pear

• Citrus

• Fresh flowers

• Fresh herbs

• Fresh tropical fruit

If this sounds like your style, you may enjoy wines with a profile similar to Sauvignon Blanc.

But Italy has many indigenous grapes that can give you this same sense of freshness.

Try a Vermentino from northern Sardinia, a Pinot Grigio from northern Italy, or explore the white wines of Campania, the Amalfi Coast, and the volcanic areas around Mount Vesuvius.

These wines can be fresh, aromatic, and full of acidity without being heavy.

2. Maybe You Prefer Fuller White Wines

On the other hand, maybe you like your white wine to feel richer and fuller in your mouth.

You may prefer aromas of ripe or overripe fruit, herbs, yellow fruit, or more mature fruit. You may also notice that the wine has a deeper color and a rounder texture.

This is where you may start moving toward a Chardonnay-style profile.

But there is an important distinction.

Liking a full-bodied Chardonnay does not necessarily mean that you like oak or buttery flavors.

Those flavors are usually the result of winemaking choices, such as aging the wine in oak. You can enjoy a full-bodied, rich white wine without wanting vanilla, toast, butter, or creamy oak flavors.

If this is your preference, look toward some of Italy's warmer regions and fuller-bodied white wines.

Explore wines from Calabria, Piemonte, Veneto, Tuscany, and Abruzzo.

The important thing is to be able to say:

“I like a full-bodied white wine, but I don't necessarily like it oaky or buttery.”

That one sentence can make it much easier for someone to find the right bottle for you.

3. Now Let's Talk About Red Wine

The same idea applies to red wine.

Start with the aromas.

Then think about the body.

But with red wine, there is one more important characteristic to consider:

tannin.

Tannin is responsible for that drying or gripping sensation you sometimes feel on your tongue and gums after drinking a red wine.

The technical word for this sensation is astringency.

A simple way to understand it is to think about a strong cup of black tea. That drying feeling in your mouth is similar to what tannins can do in wine.

And here is an important piece of wine vocabulary:

Tannic does not mean dry.

In the wine world, dry means that the wine has little or no residual sugar creating sweetness.

Tannin is something completely different.

A red wine can be completely dry and have very high tannins. It can also be completely dry and have very soft tannins.

Understanding this difference will make wine much easier to understand.

4. If You Usually Drink Pinot Noir

If Pinot Noir is your favorite, you probably enjoy wines that are:

• Lighter in color

• Light to medium in body

• Fresh and elegant

• Full of red-fruit aromas

• Lower in tannins

• Soft and easy to drink

You may enjoy aromas of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, and other fresh red fruits.

If that's your style, Italy gives you plenty of options to explore.

Start with Sangiovese from Tuscany, including Chianti and Brunello, depending on how much structure you prefer.

You can also explore Nero d'Avola from Sicily, Nerello Mascalese from Mount Etna, or Nero di Troia from Puglia.

These wines can offer beautiful fruit and freshness while showing a completely different expression of Italian wine.

5. If You Usually Drink Cabernet

If Cabernet Sauvignon is your go-to wine, your preferences may be almost the opposite.

You may be looking for:

• Dark fruit

• Black cherry

• Blackberry

• Earthy aromas

• Spices

• Fuller body

• Darker color

• More structure

• Higher tannins

You want a wine with more power and grip.

This is where the warmer regions of Italy can become particularly interesting.

Explore Campania, Calabria, and Abruzzo, where you can find fuller-bodied wines made with grapes such as Aglianico, Montepulciano, and Gaglioppo.

And if you love rich, powerful wines, don't forget Primitivo from Puglia.

These wines can offer the dark fruit, body, and structure that Cabernet drinkers often enjoy.

6. What About Sweetness?

This is probably one of the biggest areas of confusion for wine drinkers.

Someone tastes a wine that smells strongly of ripe fruit and says:

“This wine is sweet.”

But a wine that smells like strawberries, peaches, apples, or tropical fruit isn't necessarily sweet.

Aroma and sweetness are two different things.

A wine can smell incredibly fruity and still have very little residual sugar.

The same thing happens with tannins.

A wine can have strong tannins and still be completely dry.

So when you're describing a wine, try to separate these characteristics:

Aroma

What do I smell?

Fresh fruit? Ripe fruit? Flowers? Herbs? Spices? Earth?

Body

How does the wine feel in my mouth?

Light? Medium? Full?

Acidity

How fresh does the wine feel?

High acidity can make a wine feel crisp, fresh, and mouthwatering. Lower acidity can make a wine feel softer and rounder.

Tannin

How much drying or gripping sensation do I feel?

This is especially important with red wines.

So, How Do You Know If You'll Like a Wine?

You don't have to know everything about wine. Instead, learn to describe your preferences. Rather than saying:

“I want a good Italian wine.”

Try saying:

“I like fresh, floral white wines with citrus and high acidity.”

Or:

“I like full-bodied white wines, but I don't like buttery or oaky flavors.”

For red wine, you could say:

“I usually drink Pinot Noir. I like red fruit, lighter body, and soft tannins.”

Or:

“I like Cabernet. I want something dark, full-bodied, earthy, and with more tannin.”

Now a wine professional has something useful to work with. And this is really the secret to finding wines you will enjoy.

Don't start with the name of the grape. Start with what you like about the wine.

Once you understand your own preferences, you can start exploring different grapes, regions, and styles without feeling overwhelmed. And that's when wine becomes really fun.

You stop asking, “Is this a good wine?” and start asking, “Is this a wine that I will enjoy?”

Those are two very different questions.

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Tonight, I’ll probably open something simple. Maybe from the south.
Something that reminds me why I started doing this in the first place.