jfv wrote:
^ I could totally see myself geeking out on this stuff.
Any recommendations for books, videos, etc. for the novice wine drinker?
Not exactly entry-level and more like an exhaustive reference encyclopedia, but Jancis Robinson and Julia Harding's Oxford Companion to Wine is priceless. Basically you can have a sip of almost anything, then look up whatever you're curious about that's related to it: grape, region, country...
I knew what I was doing by the time I got a promo copy in the mail and it might be a little out of date by now, but Mark Oldman's Oldman's Guide to Outsmarting Wine is a pretty good cheatsheet, 101-type thing. Plus it's breezy and very, very simple. Not a serious read, but a fine place to start.
For me, the most valuable book is a little off-topic. Andrew Dornenburg and Karen A. Page's What to Drink with What You Eat. Bible for understanding pairings. I still bust this out every blue moon.
If you're at all curious about natural wine (apologies to Enframed), Alice Feiring's Natural Wine for the People is far and away the best intro to the subject. Much more approachable and practical than some of her other books. Plus she's got a unique writing voice and strong opinions. You'll love it or think it's nonsense, but you'll probably be able to surmise if it's for you or not.
My own personal opinion, though, is that you can't learn a ton from books or videos. (Although I hardly watch videos, so maybe I'm wrong there.) Granted, it's much harder to do this if you live in a rural or suburban area, but drinking, thinking, and asking questions is the best way to develop an aesthetic. Then dip into research via books and vids as you go along.
The best thing is to find a good wine shop or two. Buy shit. Inquire. If there's a knowledgeable staff, talk their ear off. If there are free tastings, by all means, attend as many as possible and ask lots of questions to the importer/distributor reps and/or winemakers who host these. Compare opinions w/other tasters. Do the same thing w/somms and beverage directors at bars and restaurants you trust. Sure, some of them are snobby assholes or others might know nothing, but many of them are really cool. (Hell, if you live in a big city, it's not unusual to find someone who once played in an oddball band.) Travel to wine-growing regions, if you can. Drink stuff from farmer's markets, go to restaurants, even visit some winemakers.
Really, good wine is so much more accessible than it may seem, especially nowadays.