Someone recently asked me this question, and I thought it was a really good question. Working in the bar and restaurant industry for over a decade, I guess most of my beer, wine, and spirit knowledge just kind of came to me. Or I learned of opportunities to pursue that knowledge through work, vendors, or conversations with coworkers.
So, my advice to someone looking to learn about wine. First, buy The Wine Bible. This book is incredibly overwhelming and challenging, even for people that know a fair amount about wine, to read cover to cover. But as you read through it, and learn more about wine, you can learn a lot from it, and it will make a lot more sense. It is also a great reference point.
Second, have fun with it. When you talk about wine, or beer, or spirits, you're talking about something that engages all of your senses. Sitting in a class, or reading a book, on its own, first of all, will just not be as fun as having a few glasses. Second of all, unless you learn by engaging all of your senses, you won't really learn in a useful way.
My advice is to do one, or all, of three things.
1) Taste with a friend that knows more about wine than you do. You, as the aspiring learner, should express what you see, smell, and taste first. Let them fill in the gaps or help you find the words you're looking for.
2) Print out, or have someone print out, tasting notes, either from the winemaker, or from the internet. Don't read the notes. Taste the wine you want to try, write down your own tasting notes, and then compare them.
3) Taste with another friend who doesn't know a lot about wine. Make sure you're taking turns "going first," or each of you write down your own tasting notes while you taste, then compare, and revisit the wine after comparing.
The keys to all three of these things are:
1) Actually taste the wine.
2) Taste it blind to the opinions of others. See what you experience first. This is the only way to truly learn wine, or to truly enjoy wine. The power of suggestion can be deceptive. If I tell you a wine is grassy, that is the first thing you will taste, or, if it's not, you will be so busy tasting for grass you miss the other fun flavors in the wine.
3) Use your friends, printed wine notes, books, or other resources, to help you find flavors and aromas you might not be as sensitive to. Everyone's senses work differently, and you may either not be as perceptive to a particular smell or flavor, or you may perceive it differently than someone else.
4) Use a knowledgeable friend, the label, wine notes, etc. to both learn "wine words" and to help you identify what you are tasting. Sometimes you will know exactly what you're tasting, but not be able to find the word, identify the flavor exactly, or connect it to something else. Hearing or seeing it right after tasting it will help you make those connections.
Hope this is helpful for anyone looking to learn more about wine. Luckily, in the last 5-10 years, I think largely because craft beer has popped up as serious competition, the wine world has become a little more casual. People are less and less concerned about "proper" training or using the right words, and more concerned about making wine, and the way we talk about it, approachable and something people can relate to. So remember, when you're tasting wine, it's okay to say what it reminds you of, even if it seems silly. After all, "cat piss" is an acceptable (and even desirable) way to describe some wines.
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