Enjoying Wines

Archive for July, 2009

Purchasing wine is what we’ll be looking at in this section of our wine 101 guide…

Most wine is bought in supermarkets, probably because they’re the easiest and most accessible option.

However, you won’t find much in the way of quality or range of wines at your average supermarket. Despite displaying different labels and originating from different countries you’ll find that they soon start to taste very much the same. The reason being that more often than not they’re made to the specifications of the supermarkets, who insist on average, middle of the road, risk free recipes.

A better option than supermarkets are regional and national wine merchant chains. Buying from these will almost certainly result in you getting more pleasure from your wine purchases. They will stock some of the same wines that supermarkets do but alongside them will be lesser known, higher quality ones. National chains in particular have considerable buying power, and offer interesting varieties of wine at appealing prices.

Small independent merchants are also recommended. They’re the place to go for excellent service and knowledgeable advice. The staff will often have tasted the wines that they sell, almost certainly so in the smaller businesses, and will be able to give guidance accordingly. Such service just isn’t available at supermarkets.

Mail order and the internet are another two wine buying options to consider. They give you access to thousands of wines as opposed to the hundreds you’ll find in a supermarket or wine merchants. Delivery normally takes just a few days and postage charges are more than reasonable. The low cost and wide choices make this an ideal way to buy wine for many.

Another, lesser used, option is to visit the winemakers and buy directly from them. Taking in the vineyard landscape and meeting the people responsible for the wine will tell you more than any wine label or wine review could. Most wine producers, be they in Germany, France, Australia or anywhere else, will usually have some facilities to allow visitors to taste their produce. In addition to being able to taste a multitude of wines, it’s also probable that they’ll be available at prices substantially cheaper than retail stores.

Pairing wine and food is the topic for this installment of our wine 101 guide…

The taste of a wine can improve or worsen depending on the food that you drink it with. There are only a few combinations which really do not work, however, by learning a little you can bring the best out of both the wine and the food.

There are two basic and simple approaches involved; one is contrast, where the wine is different in character to the food, yet still complimentary, and the other is complimentary, where the wine and food work together through a similar trait (such as sweetness or acidic). Either works equally well, but which to apply varies on the type of food being served.Regional combinations are worth paying attention to as food originating from a particular region or country will often pair well with the local wines, as they have both evolved to complement one another.Problem foods include eggs and egg dominated dishes, acidic foods, such as tomatoes or vinaigrette dressings, and spicy foods. {There are no specific rules or recommendations for these, and it’s really a case of hit and miss.} When it comes to such foods, personal experimentation is the only way to find a good wine match.

Here are some examples of wine and food pairings: pair beef with heavier reds like Zinfandel, Bordeaux, or Cabernet Sauvignon; most of these wines go well with lamb as well, but this meat can take white wines like Pinot Gris too; for poultry, look for whites or light reds when there is a heavy sauce–Pinot Noir and Beaujolais work well; finally, fish should always be served with whites, and Sauvignon Blanc makes a good choice.{However, though these are said to be classic pairings, that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily like all of them.} Remember that everyones tastes are different, and what other people like may not be appealing to you.It’s worth remembering also that many people have their preferred style of wine and stick to that style regardless of the occasion or the food on offer. Therefore, you should always have different types of wine at hand when you’re entertaining others. You can recommend a certain variety, but the final decision about what they drink should be up to your guests.

Storing wine is the topic for this installment of our wine 101 guide…

A simple method of wine storage is to keep your bottles sideways in a dark place away from heat or light. If you do this, youll be able to keep your wine for longer because the flavors won’t be damaged. Still, learning a bit more about wine storage can help you maximize your wines quality.

Temperature is an important factor when you’re dealing with wine. Wine should normally be stored between 50-60F, although a range of 45-65F is considered OK. If your temperature is too low, your wine will not age properly. Whereas, warmer temperatures can cause wine to age prematurely (not in a good way).

What hurts wine the most though is temperature fluctuation. As bad as it is, a steady temperature in extreme heat or cold is much better than constantly varying temperatures, even if the change is within the ideal range. The temperature should never fluctuate more than 5 degrees a day, especially with red wines, which suffer more temperature-related problems than white wines.

Humidity is also important as, unless its properly maintained, it can cause the cork to dry out, and this allows air to come into contact with the wine (which damages it). You want to aim for a humidity level of around 70 – 80% and can purchase a hygrometer to track this.

A wine cellar is obviously the best place to achieve these optimal conditions, but due to their cost and the space they take up, they’re not an option for most. However, you can mimic the conditions of a wine cellar in a basement or garage. Making some space in either and purchasing a wine rack and temperature / humidity gauge are highly recommended if you intend on storing more than a few bottles of wine at a time.

As for how long to store it for, this depends on the type of wine, the region the wine was made in, the technique used to make it, and the particular year the grapes were harvested in. However, a good rule of thumb is to age reds for up to 10 years and whites for no more than a year or two. If you’re starting out, consult a free online aging chart to to assist you with this aspect of wine storage.