How to Enjoy Wine Without Being a Nerd About It 

I like the broad message of "enjoy things you want to enjoy" that this channel has.

“You just need to decide if it’s yuck yuck or yum yum” lmao 😂

2 Papa Shaq videos in a week; it's officially Hot Shaq Summer

As a winemaker and wine lover, I think wine should not be pretentious. It's a wonderful beverage. Sometime's I'll take an inexpensive red wine and throw it in the blender for a few seconds for some instant aging. It is amazing how a little air infusion can smooth out a harsh young wine.

I’m just gonna get drunk and start thinking about silly words to describe the wine

Absolutely genius, and not to spoil it for anybody but...thank you for not doing a wine subscription sponsor on this one.

Using colorful language that other people may not agree with to describe wines is so fun. At a wine tasting I did last week, I wrote down "grassy and kind, a friend :)" and "smells like a witch's hut that's carved inside a tree" Basically, language is what you make it and there's no right way to do it

I have to defend myself for a quick second because I've definitely been the "yep, that tastes like wine" guy. I have said that phrase multiple times, but never as shade to wine lovers. It's more self-deprecating, because I am out of my element and have nothing to add to the conversation other than that I don't know what I'm talking about. That being said, I've never drank wine with anybody that makes terms or flavor notes accessible in the way you do and even just conceptually the things you mentioned are incredibly helpful. And I think that's why people watch you. Whether it's something traditionally considered fancy(wine) or very much not(microwaving food), you approach topics in a way that is accessible and makes people feel good about liking what they like. Thank you for that, Shaq.

Wine tasting is EXACTLY like looking at clouds. That’s such a great comparison!

We are all grape surgeons on this blessed day

I confidently speak for all of us when I say just drop the full length Gary V diss video already

I effing love how efficient your videos are. The content you delivered in 6 minutes would have turned into a 20 minute video for most other content producers. Awesome job!

Looking at clouds is a truly amazing analogy. Tastings are always the most fun in comparison - both to other drinks and to other opinions. Saying something tastes like citrus and then having someone else go - "blood orange" sometimes causes a new flavor "shape" to snap into focus.

The subtle Gary Vee dismantling is very much appreciated

The album artwork made me want an internetshaq playlist, good taste

This channel has the strongest "don't worry about it" energy.

Nailed it. I second, "talk to the store employees" be brutally honest about what you're looking for and you'll get it

Me, who needs no one’s permission to enjoy the cheapest, sweetest wines out of a plastic cup with ice, just here to take a break from the summer sun and sit in all the shade being thrown at Gary V. Cheers, y’all! 🍷

Like a fine wine, Internet Shaquille's videos get much better over time

ok ill stop being a nerd just please stop smashing wine bottles and waving the broken end at me there's glass everywhere

We need more "Without Being a Nerd About It" videos. They're amazing

The "looking at clouds" analogy is brilliant. I can also vouch for the advice given here as a wine nerd.

I love that he just spits out such fluid monologues without any editing, some of these youtubers that make cuts every 5 seconds are almost unwatchable

Net Shaq!! You’re the person who finally got me to start cooking for myself. Thank you. You changed my life.

That series is utterly fantastic. I even got the delight of watching them from a position of knowledge for cast irons, middling awareness for coffee, and ignorance for wine past what a cook once told me about basic pairings. And i gotta say, they were great from all three perspectives. Great, great series, shaquille.

I've enjoyed many of your videos but this one is bang on! I am not a sommelier, I do respect the art, but after 35+ years of serving wine to customers your message about how to dig in to enjoying wine without buying all the hype and snobbery is perfect, thank you!

Great video my friend. Glad to see you back in action lately. Keep up the good work. You ARE the most charisma filled chef on RU-vid hands down

I work in a liquor store and a guy once asked me why we didn’t stock any “good” red wines and when I told him taste is subjective he literally rolled his eyes at me lol. Don’t let anyone stop you from trying wine based on the label.

Wine-201: cook with wine Wine-301: make vinegar with your wine

I love how your page is more than recipes, I’m actually learning about food and how to cook through entertaining, clever, and dense lessons in a bite sized package. One of the only food channels I actually learn from!

The amount of info and references packed into each single sentence blows me away with every video I watch. I can't imagine writing the scripts for these, big time props to you

These vids always end with a “do whatever the fuck you like” vibe and I’m a fan.

Great summary!

Broke: Stemmed glass to prevent you from heating the wine Woke: Mug

THANK YOU! I needed this. Best channel on here by far; love you mr. Shaq

One thing I’ve been enjoying for awhile is pairing good wines with really trashy foods. Like a funky pet nat with a Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich or a Syrah with a homemade burger. Helps me to not overthink the tasting and struggle to pick out every single note that comes to mind. Usually I end up focusing on what notes specifically work between the two, and using foods other than the stereotypical cheese plate or steak dinner allows me to explore other sides of wine.

great vid, simplified for the simple man. but you clearly have done some research and have some experience. so glad I found your channel ever since that burrito breakdown vid!

Honestly thank you for this, I get talked down to for my enjoyment of random af wines but like... Sometimes I want to have a desert wine, sometimes I want to mix my wine with other stuff, and sometimes I like stuff that isn't actually wine because apparently cherries don't make wine even though it's labeled wine. Just let me enjoy my drink and don't grill me because I, now at least, call the flavour "fuzzy" lol.

These videos are so full of information and witty ways to explain concepts simply

Most of this also applies to craft beer which has lots of fun in it because so much is regional and personal to where you live and the art on the cans is often the kind of thing to spark a collection!

Looking for shapes in clouds is the metaphor I’ve been looking for to describe the process of picking out tasting notes. Thank you.

Thanks for the vocab lesson at the end!!

Instead of focusing on tasting notes focus on more objective things like acidity, sweetness, body and tannins. It'll be much easier to determine what you like. Afterwards you can use flavour notes to help describe what you like and more specifically find wines you'd enjoy

The bit where you use a straw to drink the wine had me rolling. Your videos are always great. Keep it up.

Shaq with another banger. Cheers mate 💪🏽🌵

My wine rules: 1: try new wines 2: try to identify what I like about the wine 3: try similar wines 4: buy a lot of something if I really like it 5: go to 1

Cloud watching is my favorite analogy for flavor notes I’ve ever heard.

My husband loves it when a server recommends a red with a hearty flavored salmon meal bc he knows they are familiar with what the flavors of both are (Also our most common house wines here at home are from Costco)

I sit here, enjoying a wrap I made for dinner, inspired by your tips in your videos. Lovely video, nice content, like.

This channel is just the best.

“Feelings paint the entire world we perceive” said perfectly

Love this video. So many thoughts on each point, and usually yep I do it that way and my friends\ family\ husband does it the other way.

great message as usual from shaq

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. We love love you and we’re glad you make videos. You’re best, my dude.

Wow, thank you! I'm not a huge wine drinker myself, but it always felt very intimidating to try to pick a new wine to try, especially when there's 100's of bottles to pick from! And to sum up what I got out of this video; I wasn't doing anything wrong! I like a fancy glass but also a solo cup works when necessary lol 😂

This man clever af I appreciate this content.

one of your best videos ever.

One if the best three RU-vidrs

I don't think I'll ever be able to develop a taste in anything as refined as my taste in youtube subscription. I am subscribed to this channel after all !

Living for the Gary V slander lmao

My man came in clutch yet again, on this, today of all days.

never change. this is perfect.

As a former server for more than a decade in north Scottsdale at fine dining establishments, I can say video was more informative than any “sommelier” led mandatory courses on new wines we were featuring. But my biggest takeaway while serving was that if you had a great experience with everything surrounding a new wine, that adds more to your review of the wine than anything else including personal taste palate or pairings

I'm so happy that you made and Office reference 👌🍷

I've never drunk Craggy Range and the last time I served a bottle was like 7 years ago, but even in the seconds of you reaching for the bottle before my brain had time to process the words I already knew the brand. Interesting how visuals of labels and such can just live in your brain forever

Very based selection of records at 3:38 also wearing a Voodoo Ranger hat for a wine video is incredible.

Over the last year I grew more and more into a craft beer (especially sour beer) fan. All of your points here are basically also relevant for beer tasting. :)

I like the stache. You make it work.

We need "How to share Internet Shaquille with your friends without being a nerd about it"

My taste in wine will never match my taste in RU-vid subscriptions Sir! Good wine advice, good life advice. Thanks for putting this out there!

Thank you Mr. Rich Cream sauce. Now I have a video to send to my friends when they come at me with their hysteria. “I don’t know nothing about wine and I am so insecure about it that I won’t even start trying to develop a taste...” was watching it while sipping on a wonderful Redwood vineyards 2019 Chardonnay that is on sale at my favorite local specialty shop. If they knew how much I love it... they could charge double.

And if, like me, you're coming into drinking wine from drinking beer, remember it has an awful lot more alcohol per volume than beer does. If you find yourself gulping the wine down, then belatedly going "oops, I should have sipped that", don't be afraid to make a spritzer. One standard measure of wine in the bottom of a pint mug, topped off with a citrus lacroix or similar works great!

Rhye, James Blake, Snail Mail, The Strokes, Jamie XX - some good taste my friend

Oh man ... this is exactly what i'm always trying to say ! I'm a french winelover and i approve this video !

This man is amazing

Wine Rule #1: If it comes in a box you can drink a lot of it. Wine Rule #2: See Rule #1 Wine Rule #3: See Rule #2

Man I love the cloud watching comparison.

Love the apron also great video

You know, for my favorite channel on RU-vid, this guy doesn't release videos nearly often enough. Wait, maybe that's why I like all his stuff so much.

Keep doing what you're doing Internet Shaquille! (please)

thank you so much, been intimidated by wine snobbery for a while now

I just turned 21 two days ago, you couldn’t have timed this video better!

Commenting for that sweet sweet engagement. Another great video!

This is so true. Go look at online reviews for wine and see how everyone tastes something different and it's not even close. I tend to buy 2 bottles, 1 I know I enjoy and 1 I haven't tried before. Just take a picture of the label you like for repurchase.

Your videos are dare I say “chef’s kiss”.

Yo if that's Japanese, his apron says "Rich Cream Sauce" and that is so baller

I too love the charli xcx "cover arwork" :)

Shaq, you have great taste in music

I hate watching ads but for you, you sir you deserve all that sweet revenue

Cool vid, I'm going to try wine again. I've specifically wanted to try mixing wines together like little potions.

As somebody who works in the drinks industry and has a Masters in Brewing and Distilling, this video is perfect. Don't be pretentious and don't forget to enjoy yourself. It's booze! It's fun and tasty. The important thing is find stuff you enjoy. Experts, like sommeliers in wine and their equivalents in whisky, beer, gin etc.. will have their own tastes and may not align with yours. Experts may rank unsual and challenging flavours like Manzanillas in wine and Peaty whiskies highly but you may dislike them, and there's nothing wrong with that. Find out what you like and try more in that style! Cheers!

I subscribed the moment you said "oaky afterbirth" 🤣 cheers mate !

I recently discovered I just like fortified wines waaaay better. Port, vermouth, maybe even sherry. I'm sure the same advice still applies, thanks dad!

While you are out with your friends at the store pick up 3 different cheeses (besides the basic cheeses like cheddar) but try something different some something soft to dry and salty, and mix and match with your wines.

giving thanks

Albums from 3:38: The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth, Porter Robinson - Worlds, Gorillaz - Plastic Beach, Tokyo Police Club - Champ, ? ?, Rhye - Woman, Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, James Blake - The Colour in Anything, ? Jamie XX - In Colour, Snail Mail - Lush, Jens Lekman - Night Falls Over Kortedala, Tune-Yards - WHOKILL, Jagwar Ma - Howlin, Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now Reply to this and I'll update.

The tasting portion with "flavors" reminds me of coffee and the wild flavors some of them have on the container.

I love you Shaq

The type of message we need for all things.

That cloud analogy is so fucking perfect, good shit dude.