Wine connoisseurship is a strange world unto itself, with its own language and culture, and it can often seem prohibitive. Especially for those of us who don’t have a lot of experience drinking wine, it can be hard to know where to begin, and it’s quite frustrating to taste a glass of wine without experiencing any of the rich and complex sensations that advanced wine connoisseurs seem to pick up on. Sometimes it even seems like their whole language is just made up so that they can sound sophisticated. For example, is there really such thing as an “oaky finish” or “mineral undertones,” or are they just made up?

I’m here to tell you that wine’s complexity of flavor is real. It just that it takes some time to develop an appreciation for it. There’s a reason why wine is often treated as an art form-it’s because winemaking is an advanced craft in which the best practitioners combine skill and subtlety to make utterly unique creations.

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