Wine Tips for your Dining Enjoyment

FOOD and WINE TIPS

The Classics -

1. Of the 5,000 different grape varieties, nine are considered by historians and experts to be classic: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

Interpreting Wine Labels -

1. You can't judge a book by its cover, nor can you gauge a wine's quality by its front label. One of our wine tips is that a pretty label does not necessarily mean you'll encounter a pretty wine. Be sure to read the label, not just look at it.

2. There are three things to consider when interpreting a wine's label. The first, and maybe most important consideration, is the wine's place of origin; this is also known as its appellation. The location can be general, such as New York, California, Italy or France. The appellation can also be more specific, such as California's Napa-Sonoma region. Your proximity to the wine's place of origin can go a long way in making a particular vintage affordable.

3. The second important bit of information on a label is identification of the producer of the wine. Some wineries simply produce a better wine than others, thus building a good reputation. Another indicator of a quality wine can be wording such as Estate Bottled, indicating that the wine was bottled by the vintner. A vintner will generally be more quality conscious of his or her bottled product than a mass production bottler, but not always.

4. The third thing to pay attention to on any wine label is the vintage of the wine in the bottle. While its generally true that a wine that is aged longer is better tasting, don't get hung up on finding only the oldest vintages. Connoisseurs or collectors may be interested in the oldest and most expensive wines, but for normal folks that simply enjoy a glass of wine with their meal, you won't go wrong with 1-3 year old vintages.

Stemware -

1. Although you can naturally drink wine from just about any container, glasses (stemware) that have a bowl-like shape and a pedestal-shaped stem are best for table wines. There are other shapes of wine glasses designed specifically for different types of wine, but unless you do a lot of entertaining that includes different types of wine (aperitifs, cordials, champagne or sparkling wines, dinner wines and after dinner brandy), a set of reasonably-priced standard wine stemware will suffice.

2. The warmth of your hands as you hold a glass of wine will change its temperature slightly. If you're a stickler for proper wine etiquette, always try to hold the glass by the stem. It's helpful to remember this tip if you want to warm your beverage a little bit before drinking.

3. Stemware comes in many different styles, including decorated and tinted. Although these types of glasses are fine if you're interested in tableware style, clear smooth glasses let you experience the true colors of wine best.

Serving Wine -

1. Wine is best enjoyed when served at the proper temperature. The following temperatures are recommended by wine experts as optimum: 40-45 degrees for sparkling wine, 40-50 degrees for whites, 50-55 degrees for lighter reds (roses, blush), and 60-65 degrees for full-bodied wines. Personally, I would never mess around with a thermometer to get the exact temperature. Instead, I use a rule-of-thumb of room temperature for most reds, slightly chilled for most whites and more chilled for sparkling. Most of your guests who drink wine will agree with this method of judging correct wine temperature.

2. Some wine snobs will insist that all wine needs to breathe before serving, but most wines are ready to enjoy when they are poured. Another one of our wine tips is that if you're pouring a very young or a very old wine (or if you just want to impress your guests), pour the wine into the glass, swirl it around a few times and let it set for a few minutes before drinking; this releases the wine's aromas better.

3. Do yourself a big favor and purchase a device specifically designed for un-corking wine bottles. In a pinch in the wilds the ole screw and pair of pliers method may do, but you're just setting yourself up for frustration, accidents and possible injury. There are many corkscrews readily available, from simple to very sophisticated. A basic corkscrew is the choice of most restaurant wine servers, and consists of an open spiral corkscrew with a T-handle on one end. Simply screw the corkscrew into the cork (remove the outer foil or wrapper first), and gently pull the cork up out of the bottle. Other types of corkscrews with some kind of leverage built in are reasonably priced and readily available, and make de-corking a little easier. (This is one of our best wine tips!) Also, while you're buying the corkscrew, purchase some wine bottle-stoppers to make storing unused wine a little easier.

4. When opening champagne or other sparkling wine, untwine the wire, wrap a cloth napkin or towel around the cork and hold firmly, then twist the bottle away from you. This method will NOT target Aunt Martha's forehead with the cork, and will NOT spray bubbly all over the table. Pour the wine into a chilled fluted glass held at an angle to the bottle's neck.

5. When pouring a glass of wine, end the pour with a twist of the wrist as you pull back the bottle. This will help prevent those annoying drips onto your tablecloth.

Food and Wine Pairing -

1. Be adventurous in selecting new food and wine pairings. If you normally drink a dry red such as a Cabernet with your beef, occasionally try a different vintage or red wine variety. Try a California Merlot or an Italian Chianti with a grilled steak, but always trust your palate!

2. For good food and wine pairing, the wine should be matched with a dish's dominant flavor. A white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc may match well with a plain fish dish, but the addition of a rich sauce to the fish may allow a Merlot to match better. For beginners and to be safe, start with the old white wine with white meat - red wine with red meat rule, and experiment from there.

3. The most important rule in food and wine pairing is to drink the wine you like with the food you like, and enjoy the match! This is one of the most basic wine tips there are.

Storing Wine -

1. Wine should be stored in an area with a consistently moderate (50-55 degrees) temperature. Heat, fluctuating temperatures and direct sunlight are wine's top three enemies.

2. Always store wine bottles on their sides, preferably in a rack designed to hold them. This method keeps the wine in contact with the cork so it won't dry out and crack, allowing air into the bottle or leaks.

3. Wine will keep for up to a few days after opening. Simply re-cork the bottle to keep sediment and unwanted odors out, and refrigerate. Use a wine bottle-stopper designed for this purpose or the existing cork. Another one of our great wine tips is: I sometimes use the old cork inverted so the damp and tapered end is in the bottle about a third of its length, so I don't have to use a corkscrew to reopen it.

4. Aging wine to improve its flavor is ok for avid hobbyists, but if you're an average person who enjoys wine with your meals, don't bother. Buy reasonably-priced local wines to enjoy with your meal, and remember it's always better to drink a wine too soon rather than too late. The vast majority of wines are best when consumed within one to five years after bottling.

Miscellaneous Wine Tips -

1. A wine's aroma is important because it's directly connected to the flavor. Gently swirling the wine in your glass before drinking will help release the aromas. 

2. The best wines have balance. Balance refers to a wine's alcohol, fruit, acid and tannin working in harmony with each other. Tannin is a naturally occurring compound derived from grape stems, seeds and skins. A balanced wine simply tastes better with your meal.

3. When dining out and your sommelier or server offers you the cork, do nothing. The wine snobs may insist that you smell the cork to determine a wine's quality, but about the only thing a cork may tell you about the wine is whether or not the seal has been compromised.

4. The best indication of the quality of the wine you ordered with your meal comes when the sommelier pours a swallow into your glass, and offers it to you. In rapid succession, gently swirl the wine, glance at it for color and clarity, breathe in the aroma and take a small taste. Hold the wine on your tongue briefly, then swish it in your mouth and swallow.

5. One of the most important wine tips we could give might save you some embarassment: It is extremely rude and bad form to decline a wine after tasting simply because the flavor is unexpected or doesn't please your palate. Reject the wine only if it is defective in some way, such as a musty aroma like wet cardboard, the wine's taste varies drastically with the wine list description or it has a damaged bottle. Good restaurants have separate wine lists that give a brief description of color, taste and aroma for each wine offered. If you still have questions after reading the wine list description, ask your sommelier, but don't try to impress him or her; ask plain questions and you'll get good answers. Sommeliers, and most servers in top-end restaurants, are knowledgeable about the wines they serve, and most are more than willing to discuss them.

6. Fine wines do contain alcohol, so exercise proper caution when drinking wine with a meal, especially if you're a teetotaler otherwise. Common sense should always prevail, and obviously women who are pregnant or anyone who is on medication should consult with their doctor before imbibing. Enjoying food and wine together mitigates the effect of the alcohol, and in moderation, eliminates the possibility of a hangover. Another tip to avoid alcohol's negative effects is to try to drink at least one glass of water for each glass of wine.

Interesting Wine Tips & Facts -

1. A ton of grapes will produce approximately 60 cases, 720 bottles or more than 3,600 glasses of wine depending on variety. A standard bottle holds 750 milliliters (a little over 25 ounces) of wine.

2. If your watching your weight, try to stick to white wines. A typical glass of white wine contains about 104 calories as opposed to around 110 for a glass of red.

3. Although nearly 90 percent of all U.S. wine is produced in California, wine of one kind or another is produced in all 50 states.