Vintage

When you're strolling the isles of the wine shop and looking at different varieties from different places, make a mental note as to how that will affect what's in the bottle.  For example, it is easy to think that chardonnay is chardonnay and I either fancy it or I don't.  In reality, chardonnay is a grape variety grown in different parts of the world where it expresses itself very differently in each place.

A cool climate chardonnay such as from Chablis will taste a world apart from a chardonnay from Australia, South Africa or California, to name a few.  When you look at the place of origin on the label, picture the grapes in the vineyard and whether they've been grown in extreme heat or cooler, maybe coastal air.  If they appear to be from a cooler place then expect a more zingy citrus flavour as opposed to the pineapple, mango and other tropical fruits of hotter climate chardonnay.

Origin and climate is certainly a primary indicator of what a wine may taste like but there are others that we'll look at in future tips… stay tuned!