Become a Wine Expert in Five Minutes

Want to become a wine expert in five minutes?

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Open a typical bottle of Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Chenin Blanc from South Africa and Chardonnay from California, pour a glass of each one, and sniff and sip them a few times.

Then close your eyes.

Ask a friend to hand you a random glass.

What's the grape?

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You'll be surprised – and fulfilled – at how easily you identify that zippy vegetal Sauvignon Blanc. Or fresh fruity Chenin Blanc. Or rich buttery Chardonnay.

And that's just your first step. You can also get together with friends and try three or four different kinds of Chardonnay. Or Riesling. Or Sémillon. Again, you'll be surprised at how quickly you can distinguish these wines.

The world of white wine is fun and fascinating. But it's also under-appreciated in China.

China is red wine country. Reds dominate restaurant lists and shop shelves. And Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the vineyards.

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But much of that wine is used for entertaining and gift-giving – for status. Or because people believe there is a link between red wine and health. When we talk purely about taste, white wines are much closer to red wines for popularity.

One of my friends has taught a wine course to almost 10,000 university students over 20 years. Each year she surveys her students and finds two-thirds of them prefer white wines to red ones. And in my own tastings, I've also found people are surprised at how much they enjoyed the white wines.

These people discovered the diversity and appeal of white wines, with styles from bone dry to syrupy sweet, from creamy oaked to crisp un-oaked, from rich tropical fruit character to bursts of citrus – lemons, limes and grapefruits having a party in your mouth.

And you can get a natural feeling for these wines, and start to become an expert, in just five minutes.

Original by Jim Boyce, Grape Wall of China 葡萄围城

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