Tips for Buying Fine Wine

Selecting fine wine can be exciting but complex; there are many choices on the market, and if you’re first starting, it can be overwhelming. If you’re new to fine wines and need some hints and tips, this article can help. We take a look at some beginner advice for buying fine wine. 

Your current favourites

If you’re branching out into the realm of fine wines, you can start with wines you currently enjoy. Select your favourite types of wine and look for more expensive, higher-quality versions of them. Tasting the more costly and cheaper wine together will give you an insight into the differences between a £10 bottle of wine and a £50 bottle. This will ensure you still enjoy the wine you purchase and give you something to compare it against. 

Speak to the professionals

A great way to build your knowledge about fine wine is to speak to wine experts in the industry. This could be in a restaurant, wine shop or online through forums; by talking to people that enjoy fine wine, you can learn how to select a good bottle and what to look out for when tasting different wines. However, you should remember that wine is a very personal choice, and many wine experts may not agree with each other. 

Attend a wine-tasting event

Attending a wine-tasting event is an easy and fun way to learn about fine wine. You can try many different types of wine, ranging from basic bottles you find on the supermarket shelf to rare vintage wines. At the event, you will learn how to taste wine, the aromas and what subtle flavours you can pick up with the right palette. Speak to the winemakers at this type of event; they are excellent sources of knowledge to help you learn more about fine wine. In addition, you should take notes and record which fine wines you enjoy; you can then use this information to buy bottles in the future. You may even be able to take a few bottles home with you away from the event. 

Join a wine subscription service

Learning about fine wines is all about tasting different wines, reading about how they’re produced and what food works with that particular wine. A wine subscription service is a great way to discover a whole range of fine wines. Each month they will deliver several bottles of wine to your home. Some also provide fact cards and information about the bottles to expand your wine knowledge. This is an excellent way to buy wine without the effort of choosing bottles yourself. Here are some of the best wine subscriptions for every budget.

Find a wine friend 

Wine is best shared with friends; you might be surprised that some of your friends are interested in wine or want to get into the world of fine wine. If you have several friends that love wine, you can get together once a month to share a few bottles of fine wine. When everyone brings a different bottle, you can experience more variety of wine without needing to purchase all of the bottles yourself. Your friends will also appreciate having the opportunity to get together, try different wines and discuss them. Keeping a record of the wines you’ve tried in your group will help ensure you don’t repurchase the same bottle.

Wine as a gift

If you have a special birthday or occasion coming up where you’re likely to receive gifts, you could ask your friends and family to get you a bottle of fine wine. Alternatively, they could get you an online voucher for a fine wine website. This way, you can use that money to buy a bottle that piques your interest, or a few bottles, depending on their generosity. Fine wine can be very expensive, so why not use money from birthdays or Christmas to treat yourself to something you enjoy?

Getting into fine wines can be a lot of fun, but be careful; once you’ve noted the difference between a standard bottle of wine and a fine wine, you might struggle to go backwards. Learning and drinking fine wine might put you drinking basic wines, which can slightly taint some occasions.