Young Man's Guide To Becoming 'The Chianti Wine Guy'

(MTV) - Wine is great choice at every social occasion. Fancy dinner? Wine. Hanging with hobos? Jug wine. Church? Priest wine. Tailgating? Box wine. Office party? Wine spritzer (stay sober-ish around boss). House party? Wine & Coke (sounds weird, but the Spanish do it and it's delicious).

Unfortunately, due to wine's weird foreign names, pretentious jargon and general misconception that it's only for stuffy, old white people, young guys usually avoid it. But it's easier than you think to get into wine. If you're a beginner, just pick one common type of wine, learn the basics of it and you'll be able to confidently walk into any wine store, wine bar or carry a bottle into any party and not seem like a vintage dope.

My suggestion, choose Chianti as your wine. It's a classic Italian wine that's not sweet, but not overly bold (it doesn't punch you in the face). "Guy food" pairs really well with it: pizza, spaghetti, sausages, steaks, burgers, etc. In fact, the wine gets better with fatty foods on your tongue. Chianti is common enough in the States where you can find it most places, but not so "everyday" as a Merlot. There's an array of vintages, brands and types, so you can buy a cheap bottle for burger night ($6-$9) or for a special occasion, grab a baller-bottle of Riserva for $40+. People who don't know about wine will be impressed by Chianti's foreign name. Wine snobs will be impressed when you confidently declare yourself as "a Chianti guy."

It's worked for me. I went to Italy once in college and I've been "a Chianti guy" ever since. I like all kinds of wine. I drink it weekly. I've been to loads of fancy wine parties and tastings. Yet, I still don't really know crap about wine. I just fake my way through the conversations and fall back on my "Chianti guy" crutch.