FOOD NEWS
Avoid These 12 Mistakes When Shopping For A Bottle Of Wine
BY LUCIA CAPRETTI
Choosing By Label
Choosing wine can be rife with difficult decisions, but if you choose a wine solely by its eye-catching label you’re likely falling prey to advertising.
Good labels may catch your eye but they don’t equate to quality. Instead of choosing by label, look at the producer and the wine, and perhaps do a bit of research.
Focusing On Rating
High scores and awards can be attention-grabbing, but there are many factors behind these ratings, from personal preference and palate to outside influences.
Moreover, sometimes these ratings indicate how typical a certain wine is to a particular region or grape variety, so while they can be useful guides, they shouldn't be relied on.
Getting Influenced
Be wary of marketing — not just labels, but also any sales pitches you hear, as most wines use storytelling to humanize the brand.
Labels with interesting backstories can be entertaining reading material, but since they don’t equate to objective quality, it’s better to ignore these when making a choice.
Depending On Apps
Although wine apps allow you to log wines you’ve enjoyed and track prices, you shouldn’t let them make all your decisions when you try a new wine.
Most wine ratings come from customers who aren’t experts, so while you should use features like tasting notes and food pairings, take the reviews with a grain of salt.
Forgetting Past Purchases
While you shouldn’t rely on wine apps to make your decisions, they’re a handy tool for tracking your past purchases and wines you’ve previously enjoyed.
Whether on an app or analog, tracking previous purchases, noting trends in aromas, tasting notes, or regions, and even creating a rating system can help you buy wines you like.