It is to those who are somewhat ambivalent toward wine that these introductory remarks are addressed. Since you decided to read this article, it seems fair to assume that you have some interest in its subject matter.

While reading technical articles about wine you may feel more intimidated than fascinated. Don't be overwhelmed! Try to think of this article as a bottle of wine: it is entirely up to you how deeply you drink of its contents, and at what pace. You may quaff it thirstily, or sip it at leisure. You may drain the bottle to the lees, or be content with a single glass.

You may feel that the wine world is the exclusive preserve of the wealthy connoisseur and, unfortunately, there are those who are only too eager to perpetuate this myth. Most areas of human endeavour are blighted to some extent by snobbery and the world of wine is, alas, no exception. I don't propose to belabour this point, for the snob is really a rather pathetic creature undeserving of much attention. It is only the fact that his/her arrogance can sometimes disconcert the beginner that moves me to broach the subject at all.

The snob, like the cynic that Oscar Wilde so pithily defined, knows "the price of everything and the value of nothing." Wine is, in its essence, a joyous thing, a pleasure to be enjoyed and shared without pretension. Though through his/her study the wine snob may cultivate an authoritative familiarity with all the surface details of the subject, his/her smallness of mind and meanness of spirit will forever prevent him from understanding its soul. If you should run afoul of this disdainful character, don't be put off, and rest assured that there are many equally erudite inhabitants of the wine world who will be happy to offer guidance and encouragement to the amateur.

Timidity is not the only factor that presents an obstacle to the would-be wine-buff. The "doubting Thomas" is an individual who has enjoyed the wines he has tasted, but has so far restricted his purchases to the cheaper, less distinctive bottles. His choices amongst the products offered in this group will have been made essentially at random, or else have been guided primarily by wine writers or friends who taste wines frequently and presumably know about technicalities relating to its production. She may have missed occasionally remarkable wines that constitute real bargains in this price range, and he/she is likely to be quite innocent of the taste of costlier wines of real distinction and character. It is with scornful impatience therefore that consumers read florid descriptions of great wines written by ecstatic winemakers or wine writers in full rapture. This individual may even have sampled a fine wine, one unhappily selected, out of ignorance, from a vintage year far too recent for immediate consumption. After parting with a considerable sum of money to pay for it, and after scrutinizing it in vain for the qualities described in his readings, our "doubting Thomas" may be teetering on the brink of hard-core skepticism. What's required to make a believer out of this person is the same thing that's needed to give the timid soul the confidence needed to pursue the chosen subject of interest: an education in the basics of wine.

Rather than keep you reading for a long and thirsty stretch of strictly theoretical material, I propose to begin with a "hands-on" approach and discuss before any other matter, the art of tasting wine.

Wine consumption has increased both in North America appreciably in the recent past, but though many more people now enjoy the beverage, one wonders how many of them really appreciate the full potential of its taste. Once you understand how to taste wine properly, you will find yourself perceiving-intriguing qualities that may have earlier escaped your palate. Wine tasting is neither the impenetrable mystery that some hold in awe, nor the pretentious charade others mock. Anyone blessed with the full use of their natural senses has all the equipment required, but like any skill, practice makes perfect. And one shouldn't think, that only those who propose to spend extravagant sums of money on the most famous wines need trouble themselves with learning these techniques. Though in the sampling of such wines they may render their richest rewards, the wine lover operating on a strict budget will find that a well-developed tasting ability will enable them to shop shrewdly among the wines in their price range and lead them to the better values.

If you read my articles past and in coming months you will fully understand how to proceed and reasons of enjoyment. Just log on to littlefatwino.com and read all about Canadian wiens and the industry at large.

Keep reading. There is no end to the science of wine. There is always a new vintage or a new grape variety or new technology. The opportunities to taste and to learn or to share your knowledge are infinite.

Now he consults and writes to increase wine, beer and liquor awareness. He conducts seminars and would be pleased to consider your requests. To peruse the list of his published books and order please contact him at hirayrberberoglu_3@sympatico.ca

Hryar Berberoglu www.littlefatwino.com