Here at Old Friends Wine (OFW) we know that our average reader is not a wine snob but rather a person that likes wine or is learning a thing or two about wine because they have a special person in their life that actually loves it!
When you are first learning a thing or two about wine it can be easy to get lost in all the technical jargon and intricate descriptions of the wine-making process but it may actually be best to start learning something about the most basic wines you see every day in your own local grocery store.
This is after all the place that most wine drinkers get their start.
Nobody just dives into the wine scene by charging hundreds to their card all at once to pickup cases of premium wine from obscure winemakers across the globe.
We all start with two-buck chuck or something sitting on the second shelf off the floor grocery store! Usually well under $10!
In grocery stores you usually are hit with the most common varietals made and sold in the US, Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.
I thought it might be quite helpful to start building up a resource for OFW readers to learn basic characteristics of the most common wine varietals sold in every grocery store nationwide and present that information in a way that is palatable to the average person.
I want you to understand the basics and important pieces of information before you start getting into more advanced stuff that most people never fully understand anyway.
On this website we educate our readers first, we specialize in West Coast US wine growing regions, and we want you to know the difference between a dry wine and a sweet wine, and a Petite Sirah and a Zinfandel.
If you find this interesting then please join me.
► You can see the wine varietals list here to start off.
► You can also see this page for basic wine Q&As we’ve covered to wet your palate.
