How to (Sniff) Be a Wine Snob

It's crucial, at some point, to learn the wine lingo, but T.W.S. would rather concentrate on taste and discover wines that he enjoys. And since our goal here is to make you a T.W.S., let's continue with taste and send you to the wine store for some more bottles. I like California reds, but many of them are so expensive that you had best buy a bottle from France. However, my favorite California wine is the one I picked up at Le Bernardin, the Caparoso Pinot Noir. It's velvety smooth with a warm cinnamon taste, and at $23 a bottle, it's worth every cent.

Red Is King but Don't Slight White

Even though T.W.S. prefers reds, I've never known one -- including me -- to turn down a good white, especially during the summer. I have a combination that I'd like you to try. If this summer you find yourself eating lobster or some other shell fish, go out and buy a Gewurztraminer from the Alsace region of France. You can find one for under $30. These should be served cold, but not freezing, and their sweet taste will compliment the shellfish so well that you won't believe that you haven't tried this before.

OK, so you may not know as much as some wine snobs, but you have a good start as to what taste you like and some types of wine to order the next time you're at the restaurant. Who knows, you may be bold enough to grab the wine list from T.W.S. before he has a chance. And when you do, know that you're a wine snob for sure, and enjoy this added benefit: Like it or not, T.W.S. controls the beverage selection at dinner, and what he likes and chooses is what you drink. And you might as well be drinking a wine that you love. Better yet, you can tell all your friends about it later. (T.W.S. never misses a chance to tell his pals what great wine they missed.)