CELLART's tips & tricks: how to choose a wine (3/6)

Tip 3/6 : Stay curious and open-minded

Choosing a wine can sometimes be tricky when you are facing a shelf of dozens and dozens of bottles with different labels from all over France (or even from abroad).

Luckily, CELLART is here to help you. In this series dedicated to the choice of wine, we will give you some expert advice on how to choose your next bottle!

While it is often said that curiosity is a nasty flaw, in the world of wine it is an indisputable asset. To avoid being doomed to drink the same full-bodied Bordeaux with berry aromas or the same Chablis for the rest of your life, you need to taste off the beaten track.

Don't be afraid to overcome your preconceptions and dare to choose wines that you are not familiar with. Because with wines as with gastronomy, there is no smoke without fire. There are so many wines to be discovered, from different regions, appellations and styles. It would be very boring to stick to the safe values.

Depending on your curiosity degree, your tastings should include a certain amount of "discovery" wines, in order to get familiar with new flavours and sensations. How many children like oysters at a young age? Yet these same people enjoy sea food a few years later. This clearly proves that tastes evolve according to the type of food we eat, the context in which we grow up, and our curiosity.

Also, don't rely on your first impressions and ideas of a certain wine, because you will always be surprised if you are given a tip. The more different wines you taste, the more likely you are to enjoy them and the more the world of wine will become a game for you.

In France more than anywhere else, wine is still sometimes a traditional environment where clichés persist. No, not all Alsacian wines are sweet. No, not all Languedoc wines are full-bodied reds that reach 15°. These generalities are far from reality. In all regions, new winemakers are settling and innovating to offer different interpretations of the terroir and local traditions.

You like Pinot Noir? Then we'll show you a Pinot Noir from the Languedoc in the Limoux appellation, on the Haute-Vallée terroir. The wine can compete with great Burgundy wines.

You don't appreciate the varietal character of Sauvignon Blanc in Sancerre? We'll let you taste the Cuvée Harmonie from Domaine Vincent Pinard, which resembles a Burgundy style in its ageing and its silky texture.

Remember that nuggets exist in all regions, you just have to find them.

Next article in the same series: "The burning issue: the price".