How to Select the Perfect Wine 葡萄酒選購指南

史黛西·斯林卡德

The three “P”s of selecting wines are Price， Preference， Pairing. Keep these in mind when visiting your local wine merchant and throw the odds in your favor for picking a winning wine every time.

Price

The price you are willing to pay （or not pay） for a bottle of wine is a key determining factor in selecting a wine that is right for you. Gone are the days when you could only buy a “good” bottle of wine for over $30. In todays market， there are plenty of great wines available for around $15， some for considerably less. So rest assured that you wont have to drop a bundle of money to experiment with various wines. A decent wine merchant will be able to give you plenty of suggestions in your stated price range.

Preference

Ahh， preferences. We all have them， and they often change at a moments notice， but let them be swayed by what you will be drinking them with or who you will be sharing them with. For example， if you are hosting a happy hour get together， your preferences might lean towards “safe” reds and whites. For people that may not be accustomed to heavier-bodied， heartier wines， give them a break—buy a softer Merlot or Pinot Noir （sometimes referred to as “Starter Reds”）. For a white， who doesnt enjoy a refreshing Gewurztraminer？

If you are seeking to experiment with a new varietal， then talking to your local wine merchant about wines， styles， and labels1， that you have enjoyed in the past and asking for specific recommendations should provide sufficient direction for another great find.

If you are new to wines and are looking for a few suggestions：

Try a Riesling， Gewurztraminer， or a Muscat dessert wine if sweeter wines suit your fancy.

If you prefer a dry white wine then look for a Pinot Blanc， Chardonnay， Pinot Gris or Sauvignon Blanc.

As for reds， starting with a Gamay， Pinot Noir， for lighter tannins2 and more forward fruit3 or Merlot and Zinfandel for a fuller-bodied wine with dense dark fruit4.

If you are looking to turn up the complexity meter， then go with a great California Cabernet Sauvignon， Syrah （or Shiraz if its from Australia）.

Pairing

If you are looking for a wine specifically to pair with dinner tonight， then take into account what the key ingredients will be. Will it be white or red meat？ Will you be using fresh or dried herbs， and what types？ Will the dish be spicy or fruit-filled？ These questions can play a key role in deciding which wines will pair well with specific entrees.

In general， white wines accent lighter flavored meals well， while red wines often complement heartier meals a bit better. Keep in mind that pairing foods and wines is 99% personal preference and 1% science.? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ■

挑選葡萄酒的“3P原則”：價格（Price）、偏好（Pre-ference）及搭配（Pairing）。拜訪本地葡萄酒商時，請務必牢記“3P原則”，以便每次都能勝算在握，挑選到理想的葡萄酒。

價格

挑選適合自己的葡萄酒，你愿意（或不愿意）支付的價格為關鍵決定因素。曾經，你需花費30美元以上才能買到一瓶“優質”葡萄酒，那種時代已一去不復返。如今，葡萄酒市場中，大批質量上乘的葡萄酒售價僅約為15美元，有些甚至大大低于15美元。因此，請放心，你不必一擲千金也能品鑒到不同類型的葡萄酒。稱職的葡萄酒商能在你指定的價格范圍內推薦各式各樣的葡萄酒。

偏好

偏好也是一個決定因素。人人皆有偏好，而偏好常常會隨時改變，不過最好根據所配菜肴或共飲之人來調整偏好。舉例而言，如你打算舉辦一場聚會，可能傾向于選擇“穩妥的”紅葡萄酒和白葡萄酒。有些人可能不太習慣喝酒體較飽滿、味道較濃烈的葡萄酒，別太勉強——可為其提供更加柔和的梅洛葡萄酒或黑皮諾葡萄酒（又稱“入門者紅酒”）。至于白葡萄酒，有誰不喜歡喝讓人提神的瓊瑤漿呢？

若打算品嘗一種新的葡萄酒，請將你以前喜歡喝的葡萄酒名稱、類型和酒標告知本地葡萄酒商，讓其推薦具體的酒款。如此，你肯定能獲得充足線索，發現一款很棒的葡萄酒。

如你剛開始接觸葡萄酒，并希望獲得一些建議：

若喜歡味道較甜的葡萄酒，可嘗試雷司令、瓊瑤漿或麝香甜酒。

若更喜歡干白葡萄酒，可嘗試白皮諾、夏敦埃、灰皮諾或長相思。

至于紅葡萄酒，可嘗試佳美、黑皮諾，體驗較淡的單寧味和較突出的水果香氣，也可嘗試梅洛和仙粉黛，體驗更為飽滿的酒體和濃郁的黑果味。

如想體驗口味復雜的葡萄酒，可嘗試加州赤霞珠或西拉（如產自澳洲，則名為設拉子）。

搭配

如你想選一款葡萄酒搭配今日晚餐，請務必考慮晚餐的關鍵食材。要吃紅肉還是白肉？要用新鮮香料還是干香料，以及哪些類型的香料？菜品香料味重還是富含水果？挑選葡萄酒搭配特定主菜時，上述問題都至關重要。

一般而言，白葡萄酒適合搭配口味較清淡的餐食，而紅葡萄酒往往更適合搭配豐盛的餐食。請務必牢記，食物與葡萄酒的搭配，99%取決于個人偏好，1%取決于科學知識。 □

1 label葡萄酒標，相當于酒的“身份證”，也是在選購葡萄酒時的重要依據。酒標上標示了有關一瓶酒的重要信息，包括葡萄品種、名稱、收成年份、等級、產區、酒廠名等。? 2 tannin單寧是紅酒酚類物質的一部分，主要來自于葡萄皮本身，也有部分單寧來自發酵后的橡木桶。紅酒中的苦澀味便來自單寧。? 3葡萄酒專業術語。甜水果占香氣主導地位的葡萄酒為果味濃郁型（fruit-forward）葡萄酒，覆盆子、黑莓、櫻桃和醋栗香氣都屬于果味型香氣。與之相對的是橡木味或藥草味更加突出的葡萄酒。

4梅洛葡萄酒口感較甜，通常具有李子、櫻桃和黑莓的風味。