How To Choose The Perfect Bottle Of Wine [Flowchart]

If you were invited to a dinner party after work, and if you were asked to bring a bottle of wine, would you know how to choose the most appropriate one? What about wine for a quiet evening at home? Do you always buy the same kind or do you try different ones and experiment? For me, choosing a bottle of wine out of the hundreds of choices at the store can be very hard, which is probably why I don’t drink it very often. If you feel the same way, this is your lucky day. With this flowchart below, it will never be a difficult task again. Just start at the beginning and answer a few questions. Before you know it, you’ll land on the perfect choice.

There are a few things I learned today when I was researching this topic, and I thought they might help you if you are also a wine novice. Did you know when you hear a wine called “full-bodied,” that refers to the alcohol content? There are light body, medium body and full body wines, and all of those measurements let you know how much alcohol is in the wine (full-bodied being the most).

Most people probably know that typically white wine goes well with fish and chicken because white wine is lighter, so it complements lighter meals. Red wine is heavier, and goes better with beef and heavier meals. However, this isn’t the only thing to consider. If the meal is really spicy, you might consider a sweeter one. If you are looking for a wine to slowly sip, it might be different than the one you would drink with dinner. There are just so many things to think about. I’ve learned a lot over the years from my Twitter friend Rick Bakas about wine, but I’m still a beginner.

This flowchart by WineFolly called How To Choose Wine takes everything complicated about choosing a wine and breaks it down into a very simple formula. Just start at the middle square where you choose who will be drinking it and go from there. Before you know it, you’ll be patting yourself on the back for choosing the perfect bottle for your perfect evening!