Learn Wine, One Glass at a Time
Somm Scribe is a practical wine education blog designed to help you taste with confidence. From understanding wine labels and regions to learning how flavor, oak, and structure work together, each guide is built to make wine more approachable — one glass at a time.
How to Choose a Wine You’ll Actually Like
Standing in front of a wall of wine can feel overwhelming. Dozens of bottles. Labels covered in words you half-recognize. Prices all over the place. And somehow, everyone else looks like they know exactly what they’re doing. If you’ve ever picked a bottle based on a guess or defaulted to the same wine every time just to avoid thinking, you are not alone. The good news is that choosing a wine you’ll enjoy doesn’t require memorizing regions, grapes, or fancy terminology. It just requires knowing what to pay attention to and what to ignore.
What Makes a Wine “Dry”? (And Why It Matters)
“Dry wine” is one of the most misunderstood terms in all of wine. Many people think dry means tannic, bitter, or not fruity — but that’s not actually what “dry” means at all. This guide clears it up in plain English so you know exactly what to expect when a wine is described as dry, off-dry, or sweet. When you understand dryness, choosing wine (and logging your tastings in Somm Scribe) becomes way easier.
How to Read a Wine Label: Without Feeling Lost
Wine labels can feel confusing; foreign words, abbreviations, vineyards, regions, alcohol percentages, vintage years… and none of them tell you, in plain English, what the wine actually tastes like. Good news: once you know the key parts of a label, you can instantly understand style, quality, and what to expect in your glass. This guide breaks down the essentials so you can choose wine with confidence.