For a person who enjoys wine but doesn’t know too much about the more intricate aspects of tasting it, sitting down at a wine bar or taking a trip to a tasting room can be a daunting endeavor. Do I smell the wine first or do I swirl it around in the glass? Do I take a small sip or a big one? Do I dump the remaining bit of wine in my glass in that bucket o’ wine on the counter or do I chug it? Do I eat the cheese on the counter or do I have to pay for it? The questions are endless, and no one really wants to look like she doesn’t know what she’s doing … even if she doesn’t.
Luckily for Ventura County-based wine enthusiasts (no matter the level of expertise), Jacquie Lovell and Tom Matthews have recently published an insiders’ guide to the local wine scene.
In Wine Bar Reveries 2006 Lovell and Matthews, a wine-loving couple who met at an art opening, explore 10 of the more popular wine bars and wineries in Ventura, Camarillo and Oxnard, offering their opinions and unique perspectives on the experiences along the way.
Matthews, an obvious movie buff, pairs whimsical re-imaginings of some of his favorite movies with his first-person accounts of tasting different wines at different locations throughout the county.
But, creative writing aside, Wine Bar Reveries offers practical information that is incredibly useful to anyone who has an interest in trying some new wine in some new places. One of the most helpful bits of information in the book just might be the very brief chapter, “Seven Basic Steps to Wine Tasting,” which completely demystifies the process of successfully and critically tasting a glass of wine.
And once you have the tasting technique down, you’re ready to leave the safety of your living room for the swanky patio at, say, Wine Lovers in Ventura. With Lovell and Matthew’s guide in hand, you can know what to expect. Their reviews of local wine bars and wineries offer information like prices on tastings, prices on flights of wine, average prices for wine by the glass, what kind of wine the bar tends to carry (international, California, Central California), whether they have a dinner or appetizer menu, whether or not there are complimentary snacks and even directions to the venue. Having this information before you set foot outside your front door should make you more confident and help you get the most out of your local wine tasting experience.
Even if watching Sideways is the closest you’ve ever been to visiting a winery, Wine Bar Reveries 2006 will inspire you to get out and try some of the wonderful and heretofore undiscovered wines that are waiting for you right in your own backyard.
09-01-2006
