Spontaneous wine discovery

I'm not as adventurous as I should be when it comes to tasting new wine. Once I find a bottle I like, I tend to buy it again and again and again (which is a bad habit if you're living in, say, France, for only a limited period of time). That's why wine fairs are so helpful, presenting hundreds of new labels, producers and varietals all in one spot, offering plenty of opportunity to try something different.

This weekend, the Salon des Vignerons Indépendants – which I wrote about here – will take place in Paris. There are two neat things about this wine fair: 1) It features only independent winemakers and, 2) Stands are arranged at random (not alphabetically, not by region or appellation), to encourage spontaneous discovery of new vintages.

Whether you're heading to the Salon des Vins this weekend, or just holding a private dégustation over the holiday turkey, here's a tip I learned from a lady sommelier friend: Never taste wine on a full stomach. Your palate will be sharper if you're a little hungry. Professional sommeliers always eat dinner after service concludes so that they can more clearly discern a corked bottle.

Red? White? What wine will you be serving at your Thanksgiving table?