Pour me a drank.

If you're anything like me (and by that I mean you love wine but are not at ALL a wine snob), you probably choose which wines to buy based on how pretty they are. I know. I know. That's a ridiculous way to choose a wine. But I'm a visual person. And I know very little about wines. And really, unless I'm on a winery tour (which are AWESOME), all I really care about is that it tastes good. And because taste in wine can be pretty dang subjective - what tastes good to one person might taste terrible to another. So I choose my wines based on one of three criteria:

1. If I've had it before and know I like it.
2. If someone I know raved about it.
3. If the label and/or name is awesome. 

That's it. To be honest, I'm pretty sure that's how most of us do it. Some people maybe just don't like to admit it ;)

But in the interest of helping you, my lovely readers, branch out in your wine selections - I thought I would share a few of my favourites, in case you're in the market to try something new. Full disclaimer: I like my white wines on the sweet side.

(1) Pelee Island Winery | Gewurztraminer | Canada (ON)
This winery is ~45 minutes from where I used to live! Pretty sweet. So good.
(2) Gaspereau Vineyerds | Muscat | Canada (NS)
Another local, but this time to my current home. Again, pretty sweet - but I love.
(3) Moselland Arsvitis | Riesling | Germany
This is one of my mom's favourites and consequently, I love it too. Look for the super tall frosted bottle.

(1) La Bascula | Catalan Eagle | Spain
I'll be honest, I don't know which is the vineyard name and which is the wine... I DO know that it's really good. Probably my favourite red wine.
(2) Cupcake Vineyards | Red Velvet | US (California)
Doesn't taste exactly like a red velvet cupcake but is still REALLY good ;)
(3) Jost Vineyards | 4 Skins | Canada (NS)
I know. The name. It's totally why we bought it the first time - but the deliciousness is why I bought it again. (And yes, there are 4 different grapes in it; thus, the name.)

1. Benjamin Bridge | Nova 7 | Canada (NS)
This one is fairly recent and a total phenomenon here in Nova Scotia. Light, sparkling, and as my friend Vic says, "perfect for sitting on a patio in the afternoon." I'm not sure if you can get it outside NS yet, but if you're a local - you need to try it.
2. Veuve Clicquot | Yellow Label | France
If I were to spend money on champagne - this is what I would buy. Of course, I rarely feel the urge to drop more than $20 on a bottle, haha. #cheap
3. Henkell Trocken Dry | Germany
This is a good go-to bottle for making mimosas and the like. Not pricey but still decent when you just want a little fizz.
4. Martini Rossi | Asti Spumante | Italy
Again, good fizz but inexpensive. If I'm not planning to mix with anything, this is probably what I'd buy.

So that's my wino story! Feel free to share your favourites in the comments - I'm always looking for something new!