A painting can be difficult to understand. However, once you know something about the painting (the artist, or the background of the painting), it becomes more relevant and meaningful, whether you like it or not. Same thing can be said of music, fashion and sports (you know the difference between a maul and a ruck in rugby, don't you?).

Of course you don't need to be an expert to enjoy these things, just some basic knowledge which will help you to elevate your enjoyment.

Wine is often considered an intimidating subject. An outdated image of a wine expert - gentleman of a certain age contemplating over a glass - probably stayed with us for too long. And yes, there is jargon. As long as it is not over-used (wine snobs do that), they are useful, succinct ways to describe wine's components and complicated processes.

Then there are descriptors - everyday flavours such as apricot, citrus, raspberry, vanilla, leather and floral, as well as some fancy words including graphite, sun-baked bricks and crushed ant. Actually, I don't get some of them either. And over the years I've been asked several times, "shouldn't wine taste like grapes?". Well, no.

Aromatic and flavour compounds in grapes do change during fermentation and maturation. Although some flavours do remain the same, such as a group of compounds called methoxypyrazines. They are the herbaceous flavours also found in capsicum, peas, asparagus and herbs, and in Sauvignon Blanc. And hence, some of these vegetable names are used when describing Sauvignon Blanc.

There are many ways to obtain wine knowledge. One of the best and most enjoyable ways is through tasting. Go to cellar doors, attend wine tastings hosted by retailers and get together with your friends and talk a little about wine. That's how I started – learnt from others, and still imbibing.

A few months ago I was sent a video about winemaking. Procrastination got the better of me, and I left the DVD on the shelf until last week. Finally I watched it, and loved it. They have made the complicated process of winemaking easy to understand, and with a bit of humour. Some of the jargon is explained along the way as you follow the whole season of grape growing, then harvesting and winemaking.

It's a modest-budget documentary, so don't expect CGIs and Hollywood stars. It is hosted by an accomplished winemaker, Shayne Cox of Corazon Wines, and filmed by Ben Naden, owner of La Cantina wine store. They have really done a super job of making the film accessible to everyone. Shayne, a straight-talking Kiwi bloke, is easy to understand and, according to some ladies, easy on the eye too.

Appropriately, the film is called 'Passion and Patience'. And you certainly feel those emotions as you watch it. The DVD ($20) is available from passionandpatience.co.nz. You can either read a book on winemaking or watch this handy movie.

Here is some of Shayne's other handy work:

Corazon Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $19.00

It's beautifully lifted on the nose displaying peach, grapefruit and herbaceous characters. The palate is lively and punchy with excellent fruit intensity and bright acidity leading to a lingering finish. Very appealing and expressive.

Corazon Single Vineyard Chardonnay 2009 $20.00

Rich and generous, it’s full of ripe stonefruit and citrus flavours with lovely oak complexity on the nose. The palate is equally engaging and satisfying with lovely intensity and length.

Corazon Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2010 $25.00
This is elegant and pristine, displaying red/dark plum, floral, spice and a hint of game characters on the nose. The palate is medium-bodied and smooth with lovely fruit weight and gentle tannins. Youthful and inviting, and the wine will no doubt develop greater complexity with time.

Sam Kim is a senior wine judge and author of Wine Orbit magazine (wineorbit.co.nz). You can follow him via Twitter @wineorbit.