Wine basics

Photo: Mick Stephenson

Wine is a drink that for a long time in many countries has carried connotations of the upper class and snobbery. In a country like Australia, where a couple of decades ago anything except wine in a cardboard box would have set you back a lot of money it is easy to understand why. For some reason a lot of men in Australia still seem to have this odd point of view; as they throw back their schooners of beer they’ll call any bloke in visual range sipping a glass of wine a pansy, a snob or any one of a dozen names with similar meaning. It’s time to get something straight people: wine is no longer the exclusive domain of the wealthy, the snobbish, the gourmet inclined, it is for everyone that likes to enjoy a drink. So today we are going to get into it and explore the world of wine for those that are curious.