Italian wine is beloved throughout the world because of its high quality and the centuries of tradition that go into many of the best vintages. In fact, the culture can be so enchanting that it is often easy to get swept up in it and wind up buying more than you can handle or otherwise acting irresponsibly when it comes to making your purchase.
While we naturally wish to encourage you to buy Italian wine and explore the many wonders and variations this amazing industry has to offer, we also want to ensure that all of our customers are happy with their purchase and don’t get too carried away with what they are doing.
With this in mind we have compiled a small list of ways that you can manage your wine purchases responsibly, thus ensuring that you really enjoy what you buy rather than coming to regret it.
Manage Your Budget
Managing your budget correctly is important to do in all walks of life, not only when buying wine. However, due to the fact that so many wines exists at enormously varying price points it is important to highlight just how vital managing your budget can be when it comes to Italian wine.
The first thing to do here is to sit down and work out exactly how much disposable income you actually have. Once you have taken care of all of the essentials that your money needs to go towards you can start figuring out exactly how you are going to go about spending the money you have left over.
Furthermore, it is also important to not fall into the trap of believing that you can only experience a good Italian wine if you spend a lot of money. While it is true that a lot of prestige and history is attached to many of the more expensive vintages around, there are also plenty of wines on the lower end of the price spectrum that can be enjoyed without blowing an enormous hole in your budget.
The important thing to take away here is to always budget for what you can afford, rather than buying on impulse and then struggling to get the money afterwards.
Do The Research
Everybody has different tastes and tendencies when it comes to their wine consumption, which is one of the many reasons that so many different wines exist in the first place. As such, unless you are actively trying to discover new wines that you have never tasted before, it is important to have an idea of your own personal tastes before buying a bottle of wine.
Whenever you find a wine that you happen to enjoy try to find out what it is about that particular vintage that arouses your interest. Examine the grape that is used and try to find out a little bit more about the company themselves to get some more background.
From here you will have a little bit more information with which to make your next purchase. If you note that the wine comes from a company that you have bought from in the past then you can be more assured that any other vintages you try will be of a similarly high quality. Alternatively, if you identify a grape that is commonly used in wines that you enjoy you now have all of the ammunition you need to explore different wines that use the same grape, with a much higher possibility that you will enjoy the purchase as a result.
Drink Responsibly
Responsibility with wine doesn’t just extend to the purchase itself, but also the way it is consumed. Bear in mind that wines are generally quite high in alcohol content, especially when compared to bears, ales and lagers, so it will usually only take a couple of glasses to raise your blood alcohol to such a point that it is no longer safe or legal for you to drive, regardless of the affects you believe the alcohol is having.
Furthermore, wine is also a drink that is made to be appreciated, rather than one that is made to be consumed in massive volumes in an effort to get drunk quicker. Most wines are extremely well-crafted and a lot of thought goes into their creation and the many different notes and aromas that can be experienced during consumption. Simply guzzling a glass down means that you miss out on what makes the wine so wonderful in the first place, which means that you don’t get the full value from your purchase.
As such, always remember that wine is there to be enjoyed in moderation and should be appreciated as the fine drink that it is. Always ensure that you consume wine responsibly, both to preserve it for later use and also to keep yourself and those around you safe.
Consider Your Guests
If buying wine for a big dinner party it is also important to consider your guests and their individual tastes. Remember that earlier we mentioned that everybody has different likes and dislikes when it comes to their wine and failure to take this into account can lead to a guest feeling left out of the festivities or otherwise unable to enjoy something that everybody else is partaking in.
Try to get a feeling for what each guest appreciates in a good bottle of wine and plan your purchases accordingly. If you are really lucky they will have similar tastes to you, but if not it is a good idea to put the research in and perhaps ask them about some of their own personal favourite to ensure you buy something that appeals to them.
Doing this shows that you are very much willing to go the extra mile for the people that you care about and is also much more likely to ensure that your dinner party goes off without a hitch. Keeping other people in mind means it is much more likely that your guests leave the event feeling satisfied and more likely to come back again should you arrange another party.
