How to Enjoy Wine Without Being a Nerd About It

**Exploring Wine with Intention**

For those who have recently listened to an informative video on wine, but still feel uncertain about how to proceed, it's time to take the first step towards discovering the world of wine. The key is to gather a group of friends and head to a local wine shop or a big box store where the staff is likely to be knowledgeable and caring. Buying three bottles of wine is a great starting point, as it allows for experimentation with different types of wine without committing too much money.

When selecting the color of wine, consider personal preferences. If you usually buy red grapes at the grocery store, start with reds. If you always snack on green ones, grab some whites. Don't worry about feeling embarrassed about choosing bottles based solely on labels – marketers have done all the thinking for us when it comes to creating visually appealing wines that appeal to our senses. Even your favorite albums often feature stunning artwork that captures their essence, and wine is no different.

To get the most out of the wine-buying experience, talk to an employee if you have specific preferences. For example, if you're looking for organic wines, some traditional French wines may not explicitly state this on the label because they adhere to conventional growing methods. When purchasing wine at home, make sure it's stored correctly. Whites are best kept refrigerated and taken out 15 minutes before drinking. Reds, on the other hand, should be left at room temperature for a few hours before serving.

To truly appreciate the wine, use a glass that allows you to fully experience its qualities. Sometimes, even inexpensive wines can be elevated by being poured into a more elegant vessel. Whether you prefer a fancy glass or an unassuming one, the most important thing is to enjoy the wine with intention and awareness. Wine can't literally be round or sharp or dry; it's time to get creative and use adjectives that suit your perception.

As you begin to explore the world of wine, try incorporating sensory experiences into your routine. Take a moment to sniff the wine and observe how it interacts with glass. Compare different wines by letting half a bottle sit in a decanter for 30 minutes and seeing if you can taste any differences between the decanted wine and the original. Repeat this process until you develop a personal wine lexicon – a collection of your favorite terms to describe specific characteristics.

As you refine your palate, remember that it's not just about the technical aspects; it's also about developing an appreciation for the emotional connections we make with our surroundings and the people we share experiences with. When your taste in wine becomes as refined as your preferences for YouTube subscriptions, you'll know you've hit the mark.

**Staying Private Online with ExpressVPN**

After exploring the world of wine, many of us turn our attention to online security and privacy. One powerful tool that can help protect our online activity is a Virtual Private Network (VPN). ExpressVPN is a reputable provider that has been used by individuals around the world to browse privately or download content without worrying about data being sold to third-party advertisers.

A VPN works by encrypting all of your network data and rerouting it through their servers, making it difficult for anyone to intercept or monitor your online activity. This means you can access streaming services from anywhere in the world – like accessing UK Netflix with an American VPN account. In fact, I've personally used ExpressVPN for months before accepting this promotion, largely due to its speed and reliability.

If you're interested in trying out ExpressVPN, you can take advantage of a special offer by visiting expressvpn.com/netshaq or clicking the link in the description below. This will give you 3 months of access to their services completely free.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWine is a tricky thing to talk about because there’s this pervasive idea that beyond live  laugh love wine moms, only nerds and snobs have anything worthwhile to say about it.  Here’s everything that seems to trip people up, along with every reason not to let it stop you.One: Pairings.Even though nobody protests your choice of beer  paired with wings or any soda served alongside a happy meal, some people have this idea that every  dish has its own personal perfect wine pairing. And yes, in the same way that contextually,  a mountain dew baja blast is served with a taco more likely than a cheeseburger, the rules of  pairing red wine with beef aren’t worth following if you don’t want to. The idea, for example, that  the tannins in a dry red wine can strip the beefy flavors from a mouth coated in steak fat, making  every bite of beef taste like your very first MAY be true… but it’s also true that vanilla coke  whips ass after a bite of cheesy gordita crunch even if yum food brands only serve pepsi products.Next: Price.Wine is interesting because  there are just as many people being doofuses about not liking it as there are people who really do  like it. Any time a survey or a study can prove that people can’t tell the difference between  expensive wine and cheap wine in blind taste tests, the well ackshually types crawl out  of their holes to delight in how “according to science”, anyone who spends more than $15  on a bottle of wine is a total sucker. Unfortunately for the real facts-dont-care  about your feelings types, feelings paint the entire world we perceive, and sometimes  that means expensive stuff tastes better, sugar pills make you feel better, and alchemy is real.Now, onto the experts.Wine noobs might feel like there is a certain  objective truth to whether a wine is good or bad, and those perceptive enough to discern between the  two are knighted with sommelier status. And while you’re probably not concerned with becoming a som  yourself, it’s evident by the popularity of videos of experts rating cheap wines, that sometimes  people feel like they just need permission to enjoy certain wines. Wine experts are incredible.  They can take a sip of something and identify its region and constituent grapes. And yes,  just like with food or beer or art, learning more about the jargon, context, and history of wine can  add to the enjoyment of its consumption. But all you need to do is try a sip and  identify if it’s yuck yuck or yum yum. Try not to idolize the experts too hard or they stand to  develop a god complex and trick a generation into becoming brain genius hustle heads.Finally, the dreaded tasting notes. On your journey to informed wine enjoyment, try to resist  being the quirky jokester who remarks something like hmmmm tastes like WINE to me! You will  read labels that say the wine tastes like cherry blossoms and only get a mouthful of raisins. You  will struggle to identify the “oaky afterbirth” your pretentious drinking buddies might recognize.  The thing about wine tasting is it’s a lot like looking at clouds together. If you and a partner  lie in the park, getting anxious about why you see a rabbit when they see a dog, it’s not gonna be  fun. If you do want to play with the common shared wine vocabulary, you can learn to identify tannins  by peeling red grapes and eating just the skin. You can sip a chardonnay and look for diacetyl,  the flavor compound that you might find in movie theater popcorn, inspiring people to  describe it as “buttery”. You can use the word “terroir” to describe the conditions in which  the grapes were grown, including its climate, soil, and neighboring flora and fauna. I also  have an older video all about words to describe food and drink if you’d like to reference that.Ok, so the video’s almost over but you still don’t feel like you can actually do anything with what  you just heard. Bring some friends to a local wine shop, or at least a big box store where the  staff is likely to care, and buy three bottles. What color? Well if you like to buy red grapes  at the grocery store, start with reds. If you always snack on the green ones, grab some whites.  Don’t feel bad about selecting these bottles just based on the labels. Ever noticed how some of your  favorite albums have the best artwork? Let wine be just one more example in which marketers do  all the thinking for you. Talk to an employee if you have certain preferences. For example,  if you specifically wanted an organic wine, all the old school french wines won’t put  that on the label, since to them, it’s just the conventional way of growing their grapes. Take it home and get it to the right temperature. This is a huge simplification but for whites,  leave it in the fridge and take it out 15 minutes before drinking and for reds,  leave it at room temperature and put it in the fridge for 15 minutes before drinking. Pour it into a glass that lets you enjoy it to its fullest. Sometimes i’ll pour boxed wine into  a fancy glass so it feels special, and sometimes an expensive pet nat hits twice as good when  irreverently slurped down poolside in a plastic cup. Typically, white wines are served in a  stemmed glass so your warm hands don’t heat it up, but there’s no need to worry about doing it wrong.  Even champagne experts disagree on which glass is best for sparking wine, since a flute might  preserve the bubbles longer where a coupe glass gets your nose more involved. Do what you want,  but enjoy the wine with intent and awareness. Lay back, look at the proverbial clouds,  and free yourself to use whichever adjectives you want. Wine can’t literally be round or sharp or  dry so get conceptual and call it fuzzy for all I care. Get all your senses involved by sniffing the  wine and looking at the way it behaves against glass. Do some direct comparisons like letting  half a bottle sit in a decanter for half an hour, and seeing if you can taste any difference between  the decanted wine and the wine straight out the bottle. Keep making comparisons  and repeat the process until you develop some favorites, some undesirable attributes,  and a personal wine lexicon. When your taste in wine becomes as refined as  your taste in youtube subscriptions, you’ll know you’ve hit the target. Mm this was a good yearExpressVPN has paid to be  mentioned at the end of this video.The following is an ad for ExpressVPN By now you probably already know how VPNs help you hide your online activity from  your internet service provider so that you can browse privately or download privately,  without having to worry about your data getting sold to third-party advertisers.A VPN basically encrypts all of your network data and reroutes it through their servers so  that nobody can see what you’re doing. You can also use a VPN to switch your location and get  more options on streaming services. If an American uses a VPN to go onto UK Netflix, they can watch,  for example, Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown, which is normally not available. I actually paid for and used ExpressVPN personally for the past few months before  I even chose to accept this promotion,mostly for its speed,  and also for its reliability. So look into ExpressVPN for yourself.  While you mull it over, see how you can get 3 months of ExpressVPN for free  by visiting expressvpn.com/netshaq or clicking the link in the description below\n"