Wine can be a scary thing for many consumes. Consider a bottle of Italian wine. The words, names, appellation, varietal, governing bodies etc... -that's a ton of information. But put a photo of a hippo.... now it's approachable.
Trying to be an 'expert' in wine is very difficult, extremely time consuming, expensive, and ultimately not very practical for anyone who aspires to be anything other than a sommelier. At one point in my life, I had a respectable base of wine knowledge and was confronted with the decision to either start getting more serious about wine - and have it be a thing in my life, or to stop where I was, devote my time to other things, and be happy with what I had learned. In the end, I thought it just wasn't worth it to keep learning more about something that increasingly had little value to me. The best advice I can give to anyone who wants to learn is to first get the Wine Bible, which is the best wine reference book in my opinion - comprehensive and affordable. Next, be sure to always get two bottles for tasting. This way you can learn through comparison. For example, buy a mid-high and a mid-low range Cab (preferably from the same region and vintage), open them both up and pour a glass of each. Now you'll be able to compare the same varietal of roughly the same terroir and learn from their differences. It'll stick better than just having a glass of something in front of you. But you gotta study those two glasses. Don't pour it with friends over who just want a drink. Pour it, smell it, hold it up to the light, spin it around (note the viscosity), sip it, swish it, chew it, fold it over your tongue, breathe with it in your mouth, swallow it and sit there. Let the taste fade and notice how the warmth decays. You gotta take your time and make love to that shit. And a thing or two about etiquette: Always always always pour ladies first. Oldest to youngest. And for god's sake get rid of all those newfangled gadgets like the butterfly screw thingy, the wine collar, or the stopper. Just get a decent double-hinged wine key and learn how to use it well.
How quaint. So very few wines in NZ use a cork any more. Interestingly, it's actually a sign of an inferior wine, now - it means the winemaker has not modernised their equipment.
You actually drink wine that was bottled post 1989? how quaint. I kid, of course. Twist tops are actually better for maintaining the integrity of the wine, but there certainly is something to be said for tradition. I love uncorking a bottle. Can you imagine drinking a champagne without first hearing the "pop?"
:-) I really should have used a smiley with the "how quaint", or better yet, just worded that differently; it seems extra-douchy, now that I re-read it. Wasn't my intent (but I can be a real dick sometimes ;-) We mostly drink cheap wine, when we drink it at all. Lots of our good friends like it though, so we almost always have some Sav Blanc on hand.
You certainly live in the right part of the world to enjoy some very good, inexpensive Sauvignon Blanc, that's for sure.
I went to an all sauvignon blanc wine tasting the other day (my cousin put it together and it was free for me, so why not?). I've never been much of a wine drinker, and especially not white wine, but I enjoyed myself. Never thought there could be that much variation in flavor from one grape variety.
There are a number of ways you can achieve this without spending too much money. Many wine stores and restaurants will have tasting nights that aren't that expensive. These are often sponsored by wine manufacturers to promote their brands. Also, if you have friends that are similarly interested in learning more have wine tasting gatherings of your own. Each person brings a bottle and presents it : where it's from, the varietals etc. sounds_sound and I learned much in this same way. It's a lot of fun. Edit: also, the days of needing to spend a ton of money for a good bottle are gone. Thankfully.