I have that Asian gene that limits how much alcohol I can drink, so I never drank more than a few sips of wine until I was well into my 30s. One day some friend

I have that Asian gene that limits how much alcohol I can drink, so I never drank more than a few sips of wine until I was well into my 30s. One day some friends and I went to a nice restaurant to celebrate a milestone, and we ordered a ~$120 bottle of syrah based on an app that showed critics' ratings. It was a revelation. Whenever I had had wine before, I always picked wines that were considered "approachable." Sweeter, fruitier, and so on. But this wine was different, highly complex and paired beautifully with food (a first for me). Afterwards I chased down the wine online and found one of the few places that sold it, and had a few bottles shipped from across the country. Trying it again later with my wife, who also rarely drank, she agreed it was something special. Since then I've explored other wines and have found that my favorites are generally not the ones that are pushed as approachable for beginners. I guess the lesson is, if you want to understand what the fuss is all about, don't be afraid to try ones that have more to offer than fruit and sugar. Tannins, full-bodied structure, and balance can be extraordinary. I have found that there tends to be a sweet spot around $40-100/bottle for the best quality/price. Though to be fair, there are plenty of good wines for less, and plenty of duds in that range and above.