How to learn more about wine: Taste!

The world of wine can be very confusing, frustrating and even intimidating at times.
There are so many grapes, countries, regions and different wine terms, it can make your head spin.
I like to say I learn something and forget something about wine every day.
Yep. That's what I like to say.
So, what to do??
I recommend tasting. Taste as much and as often as you can. Now, this is not the same as "drinking" wine, although that's not necessarily a bad thing either. Tasting implies that you taste several wines within a short period of time. You don't even have to swallow the wine. That's why you will always see spit buckets at serious wine tastings.
Tastings are the best learning experiences you can have. Side by side, you can really taste the difference between a Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, or, the difference between French Chardonnay and California.
Ever think that Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon are similar in taste profile? Try one right after the other.
The St. Louis area offers many opportunities to taste wine for no or minimal cost.
Of course there are all of the Missouri wineries. There are 7 wine regions here, four of which are American Viticultural Areas (AVA's): Augusta, Hermann and two regions in the Ozarks.
All of the major liquor stores, wine shops and many grocery stores have complimentary tastings Friday nights or on Saturdays in the afternoon.
Here at Balabans, we taste four wines, two white and two red, every Saturday from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. We serve the wines with our Artisanal cheese plate, and this is all complimentary.
We also have Wine pairing dinners every month on a Sunday evening. There are five courses paired with five wines, and these dinners are amazing - in my humble opinion.
So whatever you do, don't be intimidated by wine - it offers way to much enjoyment for that.

Tom