So you are interested in getting interested in wine. You couldn’t be a total abstainer, or you would never have read this far; so at least I have something to work with. Even if you’d call yourself a wine buff already, you might enjoy looking at the bottle from a different angle. If you fit neither category, but are genuinely interested in what you drink, I hope that with a little encouragement you can become more involved. You may or may not indulge in a little wine at this stage, but that really does not matter. Without an open mind you will never let your drinking habits be influenced by a book on the subject. I’m not out to tempt anyone towards intemperance, but what I’m going to say is to help you start drinking what you want to drink because you know it to be just that. My scientific background has instilled in me a strong faith in experimentation without which I and many of my friends would still exist in a happy, beery, but monotonous environment. My message is simple; not to get on to more grog, but to be more choosy in your drinks. You can drink less if you drink better. But what’s best? It depends. While working with a large Melbourne retailer, I was once confronted by a couple who had travelled great distances to find the ideal wine for their dinner party later that evening. After hours of discussion between themselves they were at a loss for something to accompany a hot Indian curry, and asked what the textbook recommended. Unfortunately no wine leapt to mind, and with an embarrassed shrug of the shoulders I displayed a recent bottling of Carlton Draught to serve with a dry martini chaser, as the appropriate course to swallow. Wine is not the only drink, but a lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to produce one for most, if not all, occasions. This consumer’s introduction to the many and varied vinous beverages of Australia and New Zealand, has as its purpose, to answer the age-old question of ‘how do I find out a little about wine’. It’s not written like a classroom text, and I don’t claim to have all the answers or unchallengeable authority. I can however introduce you to wine in a way that you will hopefully enjoy. In addition to its more serious and often stuffy exterior, wine is humorous, surprising, baffling and often disappointing. So continue with an open mind, and you may find yourself as immersed in the subject as those claiming to know every year of Grange Hermitage since 1942, while you are aware that the first vintage was not made until ten years later. If you decide that the humble cask still suits your palate and pocket, then that’s fine by me. All you need to know about wine is simple – what you like and how to get more of it. The question is, how do you know what you like, and what do you do if that runs out? Turn teetotal, take pot luck or return to a staple diet of beer, soft drinks and spirits? For answers to these and other vital questions, read on …
