More Tips... A fun way to taste wine.

The best way to learn about wine is to sample a bunch of wines in a single evening. All of the differences in them become more pronounced when tasted in rapid succession. Here is one of my favorite ways to do this:

It's a wine competition. That is a competition on who brings the best wine. Everyone brings a bottle of wine within a single theme (Chardonnay, etc.), and a fee ($10). All of the bottles are put into a bag and randomly numbered.

Everyone then gets the chance to taste all of the wines and vote for a couple of favortites. The winner pockets the cash, and the wines are unveiled. Surprises are discussed, as is why this particular wine was the best. I have found that there is always a surprise (The Silver Oak didn't win?), or other great conversation starter. Even more interesting, it works no matter your experience level with wine.

* check with your local athorities on if this constitues gambling or other violation of the law. This author does not advocate breaking any laws just to learn more about wine or have fun with your friends. Or just don't brag too loudly about how cool this is.