I have seen thousands of people taste wine and I’m convinced that we all are predetermined to like certain wines.  So I decided to come up with a very simple way to help you determine which wines you’ll probably like.  Obviously this is not scientific but over time has proved to be pretty accurate.  So lets ask the million dollar question…

What wine profile am I?
 
Give yourself 1 point for every time you answered # 1
2 points for every time you answered # 2
and 3 points for every time you answered # 3

OK, there’s only 4 questions if you want to use brain instead, I think you can remember.

What types of foods do you typically eat most?
1  Lighter foods like soups or salads
2  Medium foods like grilled chicken or fish
3  Heavier foods like steaks or fried foods
 
Assuming you eat chicken wings (and who doesn’t) how much heat do you like?
1  Mild
2  Medium
3  Hot
4  Thermonuclear (Hey, if enough people pick this one, maybe we’ll add a line of Amber Crest hot sauces…
 
How old are you?
1  21-39
2  40-59
3  60-up
Remember like wine, we get better with age!!
 
Which do you prefer?
1  Sweet Tea and soft drinks
2  Unsweet Tea
3  Coffee
4  Wine…OK don’t count this one, but you should get bonus points if you picked number 4 here…
 
 
Now slide up to the edge of your seats.  Hold on and prepare to be amazed!
 
Light

If you scored between 4 and 5 you will probably prefer lighter wines and should try fruit infused wines and maybe something like a Pinot Grigio.  Most people start out in the range.
 
Dry and Crisp

If you scored between 6 and 8 you will probably prefer more crisp whites like a drier Riesling or maybe a Chardonnay
 
Bold and Full Bodied

If you scored between 9 and 10 you will probably like most red wines.  Try a Cabernet or a Spanish Rioja.
 
Dry and Spicy

If you scored between 11 and 12 you will probably like spicy wines like Shiraz or Red Zinfandel.
 
OK, this is not a scientific test but is actually a pretty good indicator or what types of wines you will probably like.  Give it a try!
What varieties of wine are best for tailgating parties?

In most places across the county this time of the year is still a little warm so fruit infused wines would be refreshing and make a great first drink

White zinfandel or any rose is served chilled and goes with almost any type of food especially hamburgers

For whites I would recommend a drier white like chardonnay.

For a red, pinot noir is an excellent choice.  It goes really well with a variety of foods.  I really like it with fried chicken and it’s strong enough to go with fancier red meats, also

But something that would really make your tailgate party and any party for that matter stand out is if you custom labeled your wine to reflect the occasion.  For instance you could create labels that say Malone Tailgate Reserve, Raleigh, NC October 12, 2009  Think of the fun that would be….
Lets stick with our fall and tailgating theme and talk about White Zinfandel

White Zin is the first blush we have talked about.  Its not really white, its pink but its called rose, huhhhhh???  The juice from all grapes is clear.  Squeezed out juice is used to make white wine.  For red wines the skins are mixed in and the pigments from those skins colors the wine red.  For rose or blushes, the skins are only mixed in for a little bit and taken out before the wine becomes dark red.

White Zinfandel was made popular in the country all by a mistake.  The story goes that Robert Mondavi, one of the wine pioneers in California in the 70’s and actually one of the biggest wineries in the country was fermenting zinfandel a red wine, when he took the skins out of the fermentation tank too soon.  The wine was pink.  Unsure what to do with this “damaged” wine he served it to his staff at their harvest picnic and as word spread how good the wine was and orders starting coming in, he decided to continue making mistakes on his zinfandel and the rest as they say is history.

So here’s the White Zin 411:

*Some of the same flavors as red without all bite and dryness.
*Has a touch of sweetness
*Actually a really good food wine
*Became popular because of a mistake
*Usually inexpensive
*Guys hear me when I say this, chicks dig this wine
*and BTW, chicks dig wine men

I’ll leave you to ponder over that wineism…

OK wine fans, that concludes our show for this week. Thanks for watching. Please remember to sign up for show updates and leave your comment in the comment section.   Our next episode will show talk about the health benefits of red wine and we’ll learn about one of the most versatile wines, Chardonnay. See ya next time. Same bat time, same bat channel. Cheers!