When a person is new to the experience of drinking wine, he will often not know what to look for in the various wines or even what the different options are. They especially will not have a need of a wine cellar until they become a more accomplished connoisseur of the drink so that they collect rare bottles or host parties where they have need of larger amounts of wine. There are wines that come from all over the world, with the most common areas being France, Italy and California. There are also bottles that come from other areas of the world and inside of the United States, but they are not as popular on the market today.
Types
There are many different types of red and white wine, and each should be chosen according to the tastes of the individual as well as the type of meal that is being enjoyed. There are eight major types of red wine and even more that are variants of these main types. There is the Shiraz type that is spicy and is a great choice to go with red meat dishes. There is the merlot which is a milder wine, good for those who are just breaking into the experience. Merlots go with almost any dish since they are milder, but are also great with red meat. Cabernet sauvignon is another type which is more full bodied than the merlot and is tasty with red meat. The malbek is an easy to drink wine that is similar to the merlot in that characteristic but tastes more of plums and berries with a hint of spice to it. Other varieties include the pinot noir, the zinfandel, the sanviovese, and the barbera.
White wines also have main varieties, such as the chardonnay, gewrztraminer, and the sauvignon blanc, since these are the main grape varieties in white wines. Whites can be made in a bubbly or a still fashion and can range from very dry to very sweet. Some types of white wine are the Semillon which is dry and is good with many seafood or pasta dishes. The Muscat is best to drink alone, without a meal since it is usually sweet and fruity. The pinot grigio is another popular type which goes well with many different meals, just as the Riesling does. Individuals who taste different varieties should experiment so that they can find the types that work well for them. Researchers have found that having a glass of wine a day can be beneficial to heart health since there are antioxidents and polyphenols that help to prevent harm to the body from free radicals, thus making the drink healthy as well as delicious.