The Unfussy Guide To Actually Enjoying Wine
Prefer sipping wine to studying it? You can still find the right bottle and enjoy it to the fullest. Just follow our simple advice on navigating the often intimidating, overly complicated world of wine.
Drinking wine is an adventure, not a homework assignment. So while we’re happy to share our tips and tricks, the only rule for enjoying wine is to, well, enjoy yourself while you’re drinking it.
Just because tons of artistry and technical skill goes into making a bottle of Bread & Butter Wines doesn’t mean you need to be an expert to know it’s good. If you have working tastebuds, you can appreciate Bread & Butter just as much as your friend who gargles each sip and rambles on about its mineral content and mouth feel.
While you don’t need to be a trained sommelier or seasoned shopper to enjoy Bread & Butter’s good, honest and simple wines, a little practical knowledge can help you find a bottle you’ll really love. That inspired us to create an unfussy, no rules guide to everything you actually need to know about wine, from the best ways to browse the aisles of your local shop to finding the food that makes your favorite bottle of Bread & Butter taste even better.
Now let’s skip past the pretentious jargon and random trivia and get to tips and advice you can use.
THE WINE AISLE
Cheat-Sheet
Deciding on a bottle shouldn’t take more time than drinking it. But sometimes a trip to the wine aisle can feel as involved and exhausting as shopping for a new car or apartment. If you don’t feel like spending the better part of an hour answering questions about your preferences and palate, we’ve got some tips on how to get in and out of the shop ASAP.
to consider:
PICK A
COLOR:
Red or white. Decide before you walk inside the shop and you’ll only have to browse half the shelves.
No Need to
Overthink It:
It’s okay if you can’t point to a specific vineyard or chateau (that just means house) on a map. All you have to do is pick a bottle you think you’ll like once you open it.
Don’t Be Fooled
By Labels:
Once you have a varietal (non-winos call it a type or category) in mind, simply look for the Bread & Butter logo. Don’t get tricked into buying something overly expensive or not your style just because they included a watercolor of your spirit animal on the label.
Set Your
Spend:
Go in with a set limit of what you’re willing to spend, but remember that you don’t need to find a bottle at the top of your range. Wine doesn’t necessarily get more delicious by the dollar.
Try to Get the Wine Into a Glass
Here’s a secret that the big shots in the glassware industry don’t want you to know. A good sparkling wine will still be delicious if you pour it in a standard wine glass. It takes a lot more than a sub-optimal shape to mess up a wine as good as Bread & Butter. It’s going to taste great as long as you follow the three P’s.
Prep
If it’s a white wine, put it in the fridge. If it’s red, let it chill on a counter (on a spot where no one will accidentally knock it over.)
Pour
Choose your favorite vessel for wine and pour however much you feel like having. Make sure it gets into the glass.
Pass
Give your friend a glass before pouring your own. It won’t affect the taste—it’s just good manners.
Now the Fun Part: Tasting
You don’t need to find the right type of fruit or wood to describe the flavor of a wine. Do you want to take another sip? If the answer is yes, that means the wine is good. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you are not so subtly encouraged to give a more detailed description around what you like about a wine, we created a cheat sheet for sounding like a true wine expert.
Simply fill in the blanks and repeat one of these phrases. But if you’re looking for a simpler way to impress your wine-loving friends, you can always bring over a bottle of Bread & Butter.
After smelling the wine:
“Oh, is that (DESCRIBE THE LAST SCENTED CANDLE YOU BOUGHT) I’m getting on the nose?”
After your first sip:
Hmm, I’m detecting notes of (TYPE OF WOOD COFFEE TABLE YOU WANT) and (YOUR FAVORITE FLAVOR OF GUMMY BEARS) .”
While swirling the glass and
looking into the wine
seriously:
“What a(n) (DESCRIPTOR FOR A SERIOUS, CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED FILM) finish. Altogether, it’s a rather (QUALITY YOU LIKED ABOUT YOUR FIRST PET) , (ADJECTIVE FOR THE WEATHER OUTSIDE) wine.
Hungry?
Here’s the simplest way to find a delicious pairing. Take a sip of wine before opening your fridge or cabinet, then proceed to take out whatever sounds good and eat it.
But what if your fridge is empty? And what if nothing in your pantry looks particularly appealing? In the case of that unfortunate event, we’ve got you covered with some simply delicious pairings to make your favorite bottle of Bread & Butter taste even better.
Chardonnay Lush | Balanced | Creamy
Mac n’ Cheese
This Chardonnay can be enjoyed while binge-watching your favorite shows and eating Mac n’ Cheese, whether you like it made from a box or gussied up with lobster or bacon.
Get a Bottle
Cabernet Sauvignon Ripe | Luscious | Bold
Burger
Red wine with red meat? The only way to make that combo better is to enjoy this Cabernet and a burger (or steak, if you’re feeling fancy) while hanging with your best friends.
Try It Today
As Bread & Butter Winemaker Linda Trotta says, "A good wine is a wine you like." So you can follow these tips or choose your own adventure. There’s no wrong way to buy, serve and pair wine, as long as you’re enjoying yourself.
Explore MoreIllustrations by Gina Rosas Moncada