As someone who has only really (in recent months) become quite the wine enthusiast, I was really excited to try the Wine List’s monthly subscription in order to learn more about wine, the grapes, the regions and to simply make learning about wine that little bit more accessible. For me, when I walk around a supermarket I never have any idea where to start. I am complete novice.
There’s so many brands, so many regions and so many flavours that actually wine can be a bit of a minefield in order to get started, especially when it comes to learning about them which is why the Wine List is a fantastic place to start.
Wine is the UK’s most popular alcoholic drink and although that’s not really a surprise, around 20% of those drinkers wish they knew more about it and I am certainly in that category.
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The great thing about The Wine List is not only that you get sent two carefully selected wines (both of which aren’t widely available so you feel that touch of speciality), but also that it is fully interactive and the cards allow you to build up your knowledge of wine in a creative and enjoyable way. The Wine List is very much all about what you will learn and thankfully, it isn’t at all pretentious – you learn about taste, wines from around the world, how to choose wine and why wine tastes different to other wine from the same region and this is interesting, especially when on holiday where the emphasis on trying new things is higher than it is when at home.
What I really like about the Wine List though is that the very first box is all about learning, which is ideal since those subscribing may be just starting out and may feel a touch overwhelmed and although the first box predominantly focuses on the learning experience; it isn’t at all boring. It’s the start of a journey that includes how you smell and taste wine and what to look for which gently introduces you to new wine, principles, how wine is made and by doing this, suddenly your wine somehow tastes different, if not, better.
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In my Wine List box I was sent two bottles of wine; a Massaya White and a Cara Sucia from the Durigutta Family. As you can see in the image above, along with your bottles of wine you get a card with tasting notes that you can amend with what you taste and on the back is a description of the wine, the country and region, impressions and food pairings.
For me, as more of a white wine drinker, I found the Massaya White deliciously prominent. It is quite a full bodied wine to what I am used to but I served it with a mixed seafood spaghetti, as mentioned on the back of the tasting note. For me, the pairing really was a match made in heaven, especially with a dish with a touch of chilli and I suddenly felt a little bit more knowledgable about what goes well with what.
I followed the structured booklet word for word so that I could really enjoy the learning experience. Wine tasting is clearly a skill but the booklet helps you to understand why you may like certain styles of wine by helping you learn to taste and smell it in certain ways and to follow each characteristic to help tell the story of each bottle of wine.
To start with I held the bottle up to see whether it was clear or hazy as apparently this is your first insight to what you will taste. I then poured some into my glass before holding the glass at around 45 degrees against a white backdrop (or you can do this with a white piece of paper) and then I looked into the glass. My glass was a white wine and I found the tinge of colour to be a mix of golden and yellow but very clear. I then closed my eyes and smelt the wine to garner my first impression and that was of a citrus aroma and then came the bit I was waiting for – the taste.
I found the Massaya white to be quite full bodied in flavour and less of the grapefruit and gooseberry flavours I am used to, I found this one to have more of a lemony aroma but also a touch of elderflower too but I found it incredibly crisp and delicious with the spaghetti.
As more of a foodie, I am very conscious about what wine is paired best with what food and one of my favourite things about the Wine List is it tells you and so it gives you that opportunity to crack open a bottle of wine with a dinner that matches perfectly with it.
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This really is a great way to get started with wine, especially if you are anything like me who finds it very difficult to know what’s what. It’s a very good idea if you’re someone who doesn’t want to spend precious time searching the shops for something that visually stands out, especially when once a month you can get sent two bottles that you may love enough to hunt down yourself at a later point.
If I were to add any thoughts for improvement for the Wine List then adding postcards or photographs of the area in which the grapes are from so you can see the vineyards and the people that work there to bring a reality to the wine you are drinking. Or even information on where these vineyards are set so if you’re thinking of a mini-break or a holiday, you could visit yourself and perhaps enjoy a wine tasting.
If you are looking for something new to try and fancy learning more about wine, then click here and subscribe to The Wine List and enter this code at the checkout: THEHUMBLE30 which will get you 30% off your first box.
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I was super excited to try out my @thewinelist_uk box. Two bottles of wine and a fabulous learning experience along with it. Check out my review here AND see my exclusive discount!! #WineTasting #WhiteWine About The Wine List As someone who has only really (in recent months) become quite the wine enthusiast, I was really excited to try the Wine List's…
