Wine boss: How to find an outstanding wine

Published 1:30 am Friday, May 8, 2026

What makes wine stand out?

When you walk into a grocery store, what qualities do you look for in wine? Maybe you love the art on the bottle, or perhaps it’s the price that catches your eye, or you could be a little more wine qualified and you notice your favorite blend in a dark heavy bottle.

However, in the more complex world of wine, a wine that stands out is the kind of wine that has been produced with balance, complexity and intensity. When you taste the wine, you can get a vision of the terroir, the ground that the grapes were grown in. Exceptional wines offer a finish that is long and layered with distinctive fruit flavors.

What is balance and structure? That is the combination of a wine that meets a musical balance of acidity, tannins, alcohol and fruit/sugar. When all those elements come together, they don’t cancel each other out. They harmonize with each other.

What is complexity and intensity? The part of a high-quality wine is what it can reveal. Does it reveal multiple layers of aroma and flavor? You know that part when you are swirling, tasting and trying to recognize distinctive flavors such as spice, earthy, chocolate, citrus, floral and all those beautiful descriptive words. I like to say couch wine, or oh man that wine is sexy! These are the identifying qualities in the wine that come together to help balance the wine.

Oh, the finish! The most important part of the wine is how it finishes. The wine that stands out will have a long, memorable finish. One that lingers, allowing the flavors to have a party in your mouth long after the liquid has been swallowed. This really makes the difference between a medium wine and an outstanding wine. This is what calls you back to the wine repeatedly and makes you spend more than you should. Trust me, I know, but I can’t help myself.

What really originates as an outstanding wine is the love that the winemaker puts into the decisions like harvesting, fermentation and those involved techniques (steel, oak, what kind of oak) and aging. The producers create their own unique flavor profiles through those techniques.

I want to point out that I don’t recommend purchasing wine from a grocery store due to several factors, which I may discuss in a future article. If you do find yourself at the store, instead of looking at cosmetic things, please confer with the wine steward to answer any questions. Look for vintages that aren’t over their expiration dates — New World for red is up to 10 years, for white it is up to 7 years. Old World can be longer for a few different factors, but mostly due to the age of the vines, soil and the fermentation. Again, my advice is to become a member of your favorite winery to get the best value for the wine, build your knowledge, and receive great service.

Washington is the number two New World wine region. Take advantage of that situation and find a favorite local winery. Snoqualmie Valley has award winning wines that come from every winery located in the Valley. Take a couple of weekends to check them out and become members.

Kimberlea Miller is a Snoqualmie resident, wine enthusiast and former owner of Wildflower Bistro. Contact kimberlea.miller@comcast.net.