How to Start Your Wine Journey: A Beginner’s Roadmap

Ep 137

If you're ready to feel more confident about wine but have no idea where to start, this episode breaks the entire process down into five simple steps.

You’ll learn my simple five step framework that makes learning about wine feel doable and not overwhelming. From building a consistent tasting habit to knowing which basics actually matter, this roadmap gives you an easy way to try new wines with more intention and a lot less second-guessing.

You’ll also hear practical ideas for comparison tastings, finding the right books and classes, what to do at your local wine shop, and how to experiment with friends without making it complicated. And if you’re setting wine goals (yes, that’s a thing), this episode will help you choose ones you’ll actually stick with.

So, if you’re ready to feel more confident about what’s in your glass, this is where your wine journey really begins!

Thank you to the following brands for sponsoring this podcast:

• Vacu Vin: Go to us.vacuvin.com and use code CORKANDFIZZ for 20% off your order!
• Bon Chocolats: Go to www.bonchocolats.com and use code CORKANDFIZZ10 for 10% off your order!

Resources: 

My 4-Step Wine Tasting Method - https://www.corkandfizz.com/blog/guide-to-wine-podcast-episode-1

How to Start Your Own Wine Club Kit - https://www.corkandfizz.com/store/p35/diy-wine-tasting-club-downloadable-kit.html

Garden Party Done-For-You Wine Tasting Kit - https://www.corkandfizz.com/store/p46/garden-party-dfy-wine-tasting-party-kit.html

Wine & Cheese Pairing Done-For-You Tasting Party Kit - https://www.corkandfizz.com/store/p45/wine-and-cheese-dfy-tasting-party-kit.html

Episode Highlights:

• How to build a consistent wine habit
  
  
• Creating a simple rating system for every bottle
  
  
• Trying one new wine each month or week
  
  
• Why becoming a regular at a local wine shop matters
  
  
• Tools and apps that help track what you taste
  
  
• The core wine basics every beginner should learn
  
  
• Recommended books, podcasts, and classes
  
  
• The four step tasting method and where to learn it
  
  
• How to explore new wines with intention
  
  
• Doing comparison tastings at home
  
  
• Tools that keep wine fresh longer
  
  
• Hosting casual wine nights with friends
  
  
• Easy wine goals to set 

Transcript

0:09

Interested in learning about wine, but not sure where to start? You're in the right place. Welcome to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine Podcast. I'm your host, Hayley Bowman, and I'm so glad you're here. I'm a wine enthusiast turned wine educator and founder of the Seattle based wine tasting business, Corporate Cork and Fizz. It is my goal to build your confidence in wine by making it approachable and lots of fun. You can expect to learn everything from how to describe your favorite wine to what to pair with dinner tonight, and so much more. Whether you're a casual wine sipper or a total court dork like myself, this podcast is for you. So grab yourself a glass and let's dive in foreign. Welcome back to the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. Today's episode is inspired by the day. If you are listening to this, the day that it comes out, it is New Year's Eve. And so we're going to be thinking about the New Year's resolutions. Whether you're, whether you're a fan of that or, you know, I feel like new year is just a good time for fresh starts and honestly learning something new. So whether you make resolutions or not, I think you'll enjoy this episode. So if one of your goals for 2026 is to drink better wine or to try more wines and to expand outside of your comfort zone to understand what's in your glass or just to try something new, I have put together this beginner's roadmap to starting your own wine journey that I think will be a great place to start. I'm going to give you kind of my tips and how I started getting into wine. And you know, there's, there's always a start and it might feel a little intimidating, but hopefully breaking it down into these steps will help encourage you to give it a try and to maybe make 2026 the year you learn a little bit more about wine. I mean, you're already doing it because you're listening to this podcast, but we could go a little, we could go a little step further into it. So without further ado, here is my beginner's roadmap to starting your own wine journey. So step one is essentially building a wine habit. I say that and it like, sounds kind of bad, like we're building a like non healthy habit. I don't mean that. I just mean like a good habit of, of trying new wine. So there's a few things that are a part of this. First, I would say that the Most important thing when building, like, a wine habit, a healthy wine habit, is to focus on intentional tasting over just drinking. So don't just drink the wine, right? When you are trying something new and you're opening a bottle and you're giving it a taste, come up with a rating system that works for you. You know, I've shared on here many times. There was one that I got it from another podcast that I was on, and I loved it. And it goes from like one to five stars. And one is like, dump this down the drain. And five is like, I would like a case of this wine, like 12 bottles on the ready. So come up with some rating system that works for you. And then when you rate the wine, don't stop there. Try to determine why. And if that's kind of hard, don't worry. That that's definitely the most challenging part of figuring out what you like about wine. That's what step two is for. So we'll. We'll get to that. So focus on intentionally tasting. Really think about what you're drinking over just drinking it. Then I'm going to encourage you to try at least one new bottle per month. And if you're really up for it, try one new bottle per week. And that doesn't mean you have to buy a bottle every week, but you could do this, you know, start visiting your local wine shop and letting them know what you enjoy and ask them for a recommendation, right? Regularly ask them for something new to try and take advantage of local tastings, right? You can visit a new winery, a new wine shop, a new tasting room, and you can try new wines every week that way without having to buy a new bottle of wine every time. And if you keep going to the same local wine shop, one of the coolest things that can happen is that you start to tell them what you like, what you don't like about the wines that they recommend, and they start to learn your taste profile for you. It's the coolest thing. And then you basically have this personal shopper who knows the kind of wine you like and has this background on wine and can help you find new wines to try all the time. So highly recommend if you can, you know, trying out those new wines and going to the same local wine shop every time if you can. Though, I also recommend trying out all of them because there's such a great variety out there. But make one like your regular. Become a regular there is what I want, what I want to say. Just a quick reminder, you are not on my mailing list yet. What are you waiting for? I would love for you to join. When you do, you'll get a free shopping guide that has 15 of my favorite wines under$15. Head to corkandfizz.com, scroll down to the bottom, and there'll be a little section where you can join the mailing list. I send out a weekly newsletter filled with wine tips, recommendations, special offers, and so much more. Now let's get back to the show and then finally, to go along with these things, start A wine journal does not have to be anything fancy. You could, you know, for fun. I'm one of those people that, like, I'm more likely to do something if I, like, buy something cutesy or fun to do with it. So you could look for, like, a paper notebook that is specifically for wine tasting. Wine Folly has a great one. And actually a new one that just came out is called Poor Memory. P O U R Memory, created by a couple here in Seattle. And their journal is super fun, too. More than just writing your tasting notes, you also write down, like, memories that are attached to the bottle of wine or like the occasions that you drink it. So that's always fun. So you could do a paper notebook, and then you could always just like write it on paper of any kind. But having, like, a little template to go off of is helpful. You could also use an app, right? We always have our phones with us, so Vivino's a great one for that, where you can take a picture of the bottle and then write your tasting notes in and, you know, write your rating in or even use, you know, if you like sharing the wine that you drink, use your Instagram highlights, right? Like, share it on your stories and then save it to a highlight. Or just start taking notes in your notes app on your phone. It doesn't have to be fancy, but start documenting the wine that you're trying. And that will both encourage you to taste and think about it rather than just drinking. And it'll help you remember what you liked or didn't like because you can go back and look at them. So first step, you're going to build a wine habit. Then to go along with that, you gotta learn the basics. That's what step two is. So really start to understand the core concepts that make wine easier to talk about and to think about. So for one, you have the major grape varieties, so Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, you know, learn about these different grape varieties and then along with that, learn about some of the top wine regions around the world, even just those two pieces, they are huge. But if you just do an intro to that and I'll give you some tips on how to find this information. But I'm going to tell you the kind of information first. Even just those two things, grape varieties and wine regions will tell you a lot. You can also look into old world versus new world. What do those terms mean and what kind of wines come out of there. And then along with that, different wine styles. So you have still red or white wine or orange and which would be a little bonus to learn about, but also sparkling wine and fortified wine. What are the differences between these? So to learn all that information, you're like, great, okay, this is what I should learn. Where the heck should I be looking for this information? My favorite way to learn about wine is books. That is how I first got into wine. And there are so many wonderful books out there. My. One of my favorites is Wine Folly. It's a great intro if you want to dive deeper. Another good one, which is like, it's called the Wine Bible for a reason. It is the bible of all wine. It definitely is. Like, it's a thick book. Like, it is big. I wouldn't necessarily recommend reading this one cover to cover. I think the way to use the Wine Bible is that when you are trying a new wine, look up that wine and like the index of the Wine Bible and then read up on the pages that talk about that wine. And then you can like slowly learn about that. I remember I met someone at a nail salon, believe it or not, and we were talking about, I think at one point I mentioned that I had a business in wine. And she's like, oh yeah. Like, my friends and I actually just started this, this club where we're reading the Wine Bible and with each chapter we get together and try the wines, you know, on that chapter. And I thought that was such a fun way to. To learn about wine. So maybe, maybe you take her recommendation and do that. I also really enjoy Windows on the Wine World. And then Wine for Normal People are really great intros. And some new books have recently come out as well. How to read a wine label. Smart mouth. There's a lot of really great wine books. Honestly, you don't even have to purchase them. Just go to your local library and search for wine or wine books. There's like, you know, there's the whole Dewey Decimal system and there's a whole section just for wine. That's what I did when I first started learning about Wine. I literally just went to the library and checked out every book I could on wine and started reading them. And now, of course, I kind of have my own wine book collection. But it started there, and that's a really great place to start. Now, if you're not one for reading, that's okay. There are lots of other options. For example, podcasts. You're listening to this one, of course, so highly recommend. If you haven't listened to all the previous episodes, I've got a huge library over. Has it been two years? No, has it? I think it has been two years of this podcast. Over two years, and I've done a weekly episode. So there is a lot to choose from and to learn from. So just start wherever you want or start at the beginning, and that'll be a great way to learn about wine. I also really enjoy wine for normal people. It's another great podcast and wine CEO as well. Those are all ones that I would recommend. And beyond books and beyond podcasts, the other way is to do local tastings and classes. Or at least, like, this is another, like, easy way. You could always get a certification. You could always take, you know, a fancy class. But I'm. I'm kind of focusing on more, like, the simple, easy ways. And so if you live in a bigger city, there are more than likely local wine shops, local wineries, wine bars that are hosting tastings regularly. Many of the times, these are free. A lot of the local wine shops around here have a weekly free wine tasting. And it's just a way to get you in, try some new wines, and then you can ask them about them. The wine shop owners know about these wines. And then many places have classes that are super cheap, like maybe around, like, 25 to $50 a person. And it's a great opportunity to really dive deep into these different types of wine. It's okay if you, you know, you may feel like when you're there, you're like, oh, my God, everyone knows so much more about wine than me. I don't know anything. What are these people talking about? Listen, we all started somewhere. I guarantee you there is somebody else in that class that is thinking the same exact thing. So it is not just you. We gotta start somewhere. And wine people love answering questions. So if they say something and you're like, what the heck did they just say? They're speaking another language. Like, put your hand up. Ask. Like, hey, I haven't heard that word before. What does that mean? Or like, I'm new to wine. Can you explain that? Again, they love that. I promise you. There are very few wine professionals that would like, not immediately light up at your questions. They want to talk to you about wine and to teach you about it. And this is a really great way to do it. But if you're a little intimidated, start with those local tastings. They're far more like one on one and you don't have to like raise your hand in a big class. But then, you know, start expanding from there. Try some classes. If you're in the Seattle area, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram. I am cork and fizz or over email haleyorkandfizz.com and I can help you find some really great classes around here. And of course, there are also virtual options as well. There are virtual tasting groups and just virtual classes. If you would like some help finding those, again, reach out and I'm happy to give you some recommendations. And then finally, the last thing for learning the basics, so you have all kind of like the resource information. The other thing is to learn the tasting method. And even just learning this method will give you such a great foundation into the world of wine. So I have a signature four step tasting method that I teach everyone. Rather than putting it in this episode, I actually have a full episode all about this tasting method. It is episode number one of the podcast. That's how important I think it is. I started this podcast with the tasting method. So go back to episode number one and listen to that and then just start practicing it. And I actually have a free tasting guide to go along with that tasting method that you can print out and have. Whenever you try new wine, or you can have it on your phone and like pull it up whenever you're trying new wine, when you're out and about, it's super simple. The four steps, look, smell, taste, think. And then I just dive into each of those and teach you how to do that. And you know, a lot of it comes from understanding the vocabulary of wine. So you can explain what you like or don't like and understanding where the sensations come from and, you know, starting to grow that, grow that skill. It's just like anything. It's like when you first started, if you play a sport, think about when you first started that sport, you were not good at it, right? And you had to develop a skill. You had to develop a skill of, you know, swinging a bat or shooting, you know, shooting a hoop or. I don't know, I swear, I, I do sports. I swear I know this stuff. But it's all a skill. You lean or like, think about if you crochet right? The first time you crocheted something, I imagine it probably didn't look great. But you, you had to start somewhere and then you grew on that skill. Wine tasting and learning the tasting method is just like that. We all gotta start somewhere. Okay. That's learning the basics. So step one, build a wine habit. Step two, learn the basics. And now step three, explore new wines intentionally. So this is almost like an advancement of step one. And so there are different ways that you can try new wines and you can really take a certain approach to it. I love producing this podcast for you every week, but here's the truth. It's not free. That's why I'm so grateful for sponsors like the following brands supporting me so that I can share everything I love about wine with you. If you're able, show them some support back. I'll be honest, I never really believed chocolate could pair well with wine until I partnered with Bon Chocolatz for a local event. Rasha, the owner, created four incredible truffles that matched perfectly with the wines we were tasting. Bon Chocolatz is a European inspired chocolatier right here in the Seattle area. Making beautiful bonbons and confections with fine chocolate in all natural ingredients. They make the perfect gift. Visit their local shop in Bothel or order online at bonchocolatz.com and use code corkandfiz10 for 10% off. Anyone else guilty of opening a bottle of wine for just one glass and then finding it a week later in the fridge? Totally undrinkable. Yeah, that used to happen to me all the time until I started using the Vacuvin Wine Saver. It's so simple to use, easy to throw in my bag if I'm heading to a friend's. And it keeps wine fresh for up to 10 days. Proven by independent lab testing. Vacuvin invented the original Wine Saver back in 1986, and now over 40 million wine lovers around the world use it. With Vacuvin, you get to enjoy wine on your terms. Open Italian red for Tuesday pasta night and it'll taste just as good a week later with pizza. Go to us.vacuvin.com and use code corkandfizz for 20% off your first order. So, for example, I would love to challenge you each month in 2026, try a new grape or a new wine region. So, for example, maybe in January you start with Carmenier from Chile. And so you, you could buy one bottle, you could buy five. Bottles, however many you would like. But explore that grape, learn about it. Learn about, you know, discover what it tastes like and how you know, if you buy more than one bottle, how does it differ between producers? You know? And then use your skills that you learned. The four step wine tasting method. Use my free tasting guide to taste the wine and figure out, what do you like, what do you don't like about it? What are some common smells that you get with this wine? And then again, use the books, the Wine Bible, look up Chilean wine or Wine Folly has a whole page on Carmen Year. And then, you know, maybe in February you're trying Chenin Blanche, and then in March you're doing Gruner Vettliner from Austria. Just keep choosing a new variety or a new wine region to explore every month. And if you need help finding which ones to try, ask your local wine shop. Ask me on social media, on Instagram, Cork and Fizz, or send me an email. I am more than happy to give suggestions for different wines to try. And if you really, if you're like, you really want to learn how to develop your wine palette, this is actually a technique that wine experts will use where they focus only on that single grape variety or that single wine region each month. That is a bit extreme. You totally don't have to go that far. But if you're curious, that is one of the best ways to really dive deep and learn about different wines is like, in January, all you drink is Carmeniere from Chile, and in February, all you drink is Chenin Blanc. And maybe you try Chenin Blanc from all around the world, but you only drink Chenin Blanc, you know, and. And so on and so forth. You get the idea. You don't have to go that extreme. You could just be like, okay, January, the wine I'm gonna try is this. And then I'm gonna drink whatever else I want. But it's a good way to just start expanding again. I'm also going to encourage you to shop at your local wine shops and ask for help. Don't be afraid to ask for help. That is what they are there for. And they will start learning what you like and don't like. And they can kind of like, they'll be your little coach. They'll be your guide throughout this whole wine journey. The other thing you can do to really explore new wines intentionally is to try comparison tastings, doing these at home. And when you're out and about, this is where you have at least two wines you can do more, but at least two different wines and you try them side by side, right? And so you go through the wine tasting steps, you look at the wines, you smell the wines, you taste the wines, and you do it with wine one and then wine number two, right? So we look at wine number one, we look at wine number two. What's the difference? What kind of color do I see in them? Great. Okay, now smell each of them, right? And doing this really helps you notice the differences in the wines, which helps you name a lot of things in the wine that you might not have noticed if you were only drinking one of them. This is the number one tip that the author of the wine Bible gave for trying new wine. She said you have to, you know, at home, never have one glass, have two glasses, which, gosh, forbid if that's what we have to do to learn about wine. But it's really, it's a great opportunity to try to side by side. And you can try this, you know, at tasting rooms, at wineries. You know, ask for an extra glass if a winery only gives you one and be like, hey, I would love to try this and this next to each other. Can I do that? Most places will say yes. If you are at home, I would highly recommend getting a wine accessory that will help your wine last longer. So essentially you don't have to like, open two bottles and drink two bottles within like a couple days. So Coravin is great for this. This is the device that has a needle that goes through the cork and it pours wine through. Like, it pulls wine up through the needle, which is fascinating and so cool. It is a little expensive, but this is one of those devices that I still use regularly. I think I've had one. I think I've had the one that I'm currently using for probably like three or four years. So it, it definitely pays for itself. Other options, repour replaces the cork. It'll keep your wine good for up to three months or even simpler. And the least expensive is vacuum. And these guys, this is the, the pump plus the cork. And that will help your wine stay good for, I think, up to 10 days. So if you're just opening two bottles, that's, that's a great option too. Okay, so we have built our wine habit. We've learned the basics, we've explored new wines intentionally. And now for step four, we're going to think about pairing wine with people and food because let's be real, wine is better when it's shared. So I want to encourage you to not only try wine on your own, but start Hosting casual tastings with friends or join a wine club somewhere. For me, this was one of the biggest things that helped me learn about wine and get to try so many new wines. The start of Cork and fizz came from a wine tasting club that I started with friends. And I promise it's not hard to do. It might sound a little overwhelming, but all I did was get some friends together. They were all interested in them. I'm like, hey, do you want to come over and drink wine? Most people say yes to that usually. And I said, just, everybody bring a bottle. And, you know, we did it once a month, and each month we just had a different theme. And, you know, the first theme, I think, was just like, what's your favorite bottle? And. And a lot of people didn't have a favorite bottle at that time, so they just went to the store and picked one that had a cool label, you know, and then we had different themes, you know, like wines from France, wines from Italy, different types of Syrah. I'm trying to think of, like, some other random themes that we've had. Island wines, so it had to come from an island. Washington versus the world. So we did Washington wines and then the same variety, but from somewhere else in the world. So we just, you know, and you can find a lot of these themes. I actually have a full how to start your own wine club kit that you can purchase online on my website, corkandfizz.com and I think it has a list of, like, 20 different themes to help you get started. But then, yeah, everybody just brought a bottle to try. It was a great way. I mean, you have 10 people total. You get to try 10 new wines, but you only bought one of them, right? And it's super fun. I will recommend not doing this on a Monday night like we did for our very first wine night. Trust me, wine still has alcohol, and you will still feel tipsy and drunk unless you spit, which you totally don't have to. You're just having a party at your house. Just be responsible. But Tuesday is a little rough if you have it on a Monday night, so I. I'd stick to Friday and Saturdays if you work the typical Monday through Friday work. And with this, you know, wine and food pairing might seem overwhelming as well. But this is a great time to experiment with wine and food. You know, have friends bring a snack to go with their wine. And it doesn't necessarily have to pair because you've got, like, eight or nine other wines to try with it, and you'll figure it out. You know, and wine and food pairing really is just about experimenting. So even at home for dinner, you know, just grab a wine, try it with dinner. And so let's just say you have a sip of wine and then a bite of food, and then you go back to your wine. Did the food make the wine taste better? And then you can do it the other way. Have a bite of food, sip of wine, bite of food into the wine, make the food taste better. That's how wine and food pairings are determined. We're basically just figuring out if these two things can meld together and make something that's greater than its parts. Easy as that. And if you want something even easier for putting together a wine tasting party, I have some done for you. Wine tasting party kits that are an easy way to get some people together, but make it feel. Make it feel a little fancy. I've got a wine and cheese pairing party and a garden party, which, if it's the middle of the winter, throw your own garden party. That's okay. We don't need good weather for that. But they come with everything from the invites to how to do the setup to wine recommendations and food pairings to go with them. My tasting guides, my note sheets, everything you need to host a fun wine tasting party with friends. But even more than that, if you're not ready to do a full party, just invite some friends over and ask them to bring a bottle of wine. And while you're there, pull out that free wine tasting, the tasting guide that is down in my show notes right now that you can get for free. Pull that out and everybody just try tasting their wine and jot it down in your new notebook that you got right. Simple, easy. Okay, last step here for your wine journey is to set your wine goals for 2026. It doesn't have to be anything fancy. Some examples that I'm thinking of would be something like, I want to learn to tell the difference between Pinot Noir and Syrah. I think that's great. Like, that will kind of encourage you to start learning about one. What do both of these wines typically taste like? And then learning how to taste for those things. Right? Or maybe you just want to try 12 new to you wines in 2026. You can totally do that. I believe in you. Or I want to host three wine nights with friends. Or I want to. I want to get the courage to visit a new wine shop and ask for a recommendation. Right? These goals are meant to be fun and achievable, not overwhelming. So think about it. Think about the ones that I suggested or come up with your own. And I would like to invite you to share those goals with me on Instagram or email. And I will. I'll share them out anonymously once I collect all of them because I'm so curious to hear what goal would you like to set, you know, around wine for 2026? So once you come up with that goal, send it to me on Instagram, I'm Ork and Fizz. Or send me an email haleyorkandfizz.com and I'd love to cheer you on throughout the year towards your wine goal. All right, that's it. That is my beginner's roadmap to starting your wine journey. You're going to build a wine habit, learn the basics, explore new wines, intentionally pair wine with people and food, and finally set your wine goal for 2026. I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Cork and Fizz Guide to Wine podcast. If you love this as much as I did, I'd love it if you could take a quick second to rate it and leave a review. And if you know a wine lover in your life that would enjoy this, please share it with them. In next week's episode, I will be interviewing an expert on the wines of Southern France, AKA the Langue d' oc in Roussillon regions. If you have not heard of those before, don't worry, you're not alone. They are like this really special hidden gem region of wines in France that are absolutely delicious but not incredibly expensive yet. Trust me, it's definitely going to be worth the listen. I'm going to be talking to Ioana, who is the new Princess and Bear owner, which is a wine bar down in Seattle and they also have an online wine shop and like I said, they specialize in the wines of Southern France of Languedoc and Roussillon on It's going to be so fun to learn about. I can't wait to tell you more. Thanks again for listening. And if you want to learn more about wine, come follow me at corganfizz on Instagram. Cheers.