A wine you like is the perfect one for you

Let’s talk about wine – the other day I went to a supermarket and as I wanted to treat myself, I thought a good bottle of wine was in order. Budget was an issue so I looked at the bottles under €15 and there was a good variety to choose from. 

While letting my thirsty eyes wander along the shelves I came across a bottle of Lambrusco for €3.99 – now, you have to be of a certain age to remember the height of success for Lambrusco to understand my smirky smile.

I have drunk way too much sweet Lambrusco in my younger days, believing it to be the height of sophistication while tucking into a pizza (note from my Italian friends – beer is the appropriate drink for pizza).

Looking back, my taste buds are hiding in utter disbelief that I was able to drink the cheap stuff. I haven’t touched Lambrusco in many moons and have not wasted an ounce of thought on it either. But seeing the bottle for a meagre €3.99, I was thinking that wines like this put me on the road to appreciating wine more.

Living in Germany at the time (many moons ago), wines were very affordable but German wines tend to be drier and more serious than Spanish or Italian wines – so for us young ones, Lambrusco was a great choice as we could pretend to be all grown up.

I still love Italian wines but they include now Valpolicella, Nero d’Avola and of course Montepulciano. I came across an article in the New York Times from 2006 on Lambrusco available in the US and the writer was particular fond of Lambrusco do Sorbara, a dry sparkling rose. This particular grape drops their flowers which results in less grapes but a more concentrated flavour.

I have not come across this wine yet but will keep my eye out. I also remember a glass of white Lambrusco (same grape but the time the skin is in contact with the must is reduced) which wasn’t half bad.

The Lambrusco grape is grown for its high productivity, hence the lower price range and is grown in only a few areas in Italy, although variations are grown in Australia and Argentina.

While sitting here with my smirky grin (cause I am all grown up now and know my wines), I remember something a wine expert told me once: ‘if you like a wine – it’s perfect for you, no matter of grape, region or price’.

This guy managed to get me from sweet white wines to rich dry reds within a few months of joining a wine club in Berlin.

Now I love dry rose wine in summer and spicy reds in winter – yes, I have all grown up now.

I also remember the time when I founded the Cork Dine & Wine Club many years ago. It started with a monthly dinner party for my friends and turned into a wine tasting meeting once a month.

I even had my Italian and Portuguese friends talking about their country’s wines. We had tasting notes and all – it was all very professional but meant for normal folks (I am still not a wine buff).