What Makes a Good Glass of Wine?

There are so many varieties and flavors of wines.  I love wine.  Sometimes it's a white I prefer. Often, it's a red I want.  Other times, I want something bubbly and sparkly.  So what makes a good glass of wine?

How does it taste?  That's pretty much my personal criteria.    Do I feel like a Pinot Noir even though I'm cooking fish?  Is the Italian sparkling Prosecco more to my taste when I am eating a steak?  I have found that some reds really are too intense or heavy for fish or shellfish and that some whites are perfect for meats.

Cork or no cork?  Initially, I had the wrong idea. Now, after trying several, that does not deter me from trying a wine for taste.  Yes, I feel happy when I don't have to grapple with a corkscrew, especially if I am somewhere without my easy to use gizmo.  However, I have found some really good wines in screw-cap bottles.  Like anything else, you just have to experiment to see what you like.

Even with a good corkscrew stuff happens.  There is nothing less fun than having the cork break and leave little bits cork floating in your wine.  When that happens, I just push the cork down into the bottle and strain the wine into a glass or pour the whole thing into a decanter.  Hardly the professional way, I am sure.

In any case, I try different kinds of wines.  At times, I also let my budget determine what I am going to drink or cook with.  So I have had anything from 3 buck chuck to something a lot more expensive. 

One rule I stick to is that if the wine is not fit to drink, like so-called "cooking wine" you can buy in the grocery store, I do not cook with it.. Not only that, if I by a high-quality pricey wine; I would rather drink it than cook with it.

The main point is that you are the one who determines what makes a good glass of wine.  Don't be afraid to try the different varieties out.  Do not be governed only by price.  That does not always work.  Also, what may taste good to someone else may not be to your liking.  That is alright.  Get your own style and have confidence in what you decide.