How to Choose a Bottle of Wine You'll Be Proud Bring to Dinner
By Wayne Silverman

With the steady rise of BYOB restaurants, and the outrageous cost of buying a bottle of wine in most places, everyone should know how to buy a drinkable, meal enhancing, bottle of wine for under $15.

The reason I'm writing this article is that I'm not a sommelier and I have been drinking wine for most of my life. I've always agreed with the saying that 'Life is too short to drink bad wine!'

I never gave much attention to varieties or prices. That is, until I met the woman who is now my wife. On our first date she told me that she was into wine. Like I said, I was always a wine or beer drinker. But dating a self-professed 'wine snob' forced me to pay attention, and realize that I faced a steep learning curve: how to figure out this 'wine thing' fast. I needed to design a way to quickly choose a good, serviceable wine that wouldn't burn up my wallet.

I went at this project the same as any research I do, by first clearing my mind of preconceived notions (i.e. what I 'thought' I knew) and then going on a fact finding mission: to the liquor store.

I have to tell you that I am very lucky to live in a state where the stores have a particularly fabulous selection. Friends of mine who have come here from California say that the liquor stores in Pennsylvania have a better selection of wines than the stores in California...and for those of you who don't know it yet, California is where they make many of the best affordable wines (and some of least affordable as well, if your feeling rich).

Wandering around the store I noticed that many of the wines had interesting labels (Yeah, I know you can't tell a book by its cover.) Maybe it's from majoring in marketing, but, the closer I looked at the bottles and labels I started to realize that the more interesting label designs tend to be produced by younger, more innovative wineries.

I asked the store manager and the sommelier questions about this. They looked at me kind of odd, like I was trying to drive on the wrong side of the road, so I used their knowledge to validate what I was thinking. I didn't really care if they agreed with me or not. (Lesson one when you want to learn anything about anything: Don't be afraid to think outside the box.)

What they told me verified my take on labeling: the more established wineries, like the vineyards and wine makers of France, tend to use more traditional labels.

I'm not going to give you any secret names, I don't need to... the secret is ...just buy any wine that has an animal on the label. Names like Rex Goliath, Mad Dogs and Englishmen, Bull's Blood and Toasted Head come to mind...these bottles all sell for under $15, and most of the time you can find them on sale. They all have animals on the label! There is no reason to spend more than $10 to $15 to get a bottle of good wine. That should leave enough cash in your pocket to afford dinner too!

Ok, I will drop a few vineyard names just to get you going in the right direction: Cline, Red Truck, Mondavi, Turning Leaf, and anything from the Russian River Valley in California (just watch the prices on that last one!) are all safe bets, and if you can find them on sale, EVEN BETTER! (More research showed me that these are all newer wineries that fit the profile of being more creative and innovative.)

OK, now you are armed with the knowledge to buy a decent, drinkable wine...Now, which wine goes with which meal?

This is an area that causes more confusion and stress than any other aspect of wine drinking. Don't stress, its wine. Wine should be fun, wine is fun, wine is fermented fun! So here's a soft rule: Strong, bold wines for strongly flavored foods, milder wines for more delicately flavored foods.

Strong Reds: Burgundy, Cabernet, Bordeaux all go with spicy, flavorful, bold tasting foods. Think: steak, spicy Italian food, barbecue ribs (Yes, wine goes with everything! Even barbecue!).

Medium Reds: Merlot and Zinfandel these can be either heavier or lighter depending on the maker, just ask 'Is this a heavier bodied or a lighter red Zin?' ...they'll think you're an expert!

Lighter Reds: Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Rose.

Bold whites: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio or a White Bordeaux with a spicy chicken, fish or veal dish.

Personally, I prefer the lighter whites, like Chardonnay or Chablis by themselves for a sunny afternoon on our back deck under the umbrella.

Don't be afraid to experiment once you have tasted a few. Your taste buds will tell you what goes best. These are soft rules, when it comes to taste there are no hard rules that can't be over ridden by your own personal preferences! I have Cabernet with barbecue chicken all the time. So don't stress! Drink up!

If you get a bottle you're not in love with, put the cork back in it and put it in the fridge for future cooking use. Choosing wine is always a win-win, you can always just eat your mistakes!

Wayne Silverman (me) currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and a cat named Angela. I'm a jack of all trades having worked in Real Estate, Finance, Marketing, Construction, Massage Therapy (certified Shiatsu Therapist), Holistic Healing (Reiki Master)( I like to think I'm a jack of all trades master of SOME!) and recently began a masters degree program in Accounting. Currently I have a day job at well known financial services company... And I still find time to enjoy a good bottle of wine every now and then (read: at least once a week!)

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