SOME PRACTICAL HINTS ABOUT WINE–FROM EXPERIENCE


By Denman Moody.

In Europe, wine has been thought of as part of a meal for hundreds of years. I sat down to meals in Italy, France and Spain when I was in my 20s, and I don’t remember anyone discussing the wines. After every bite or so of food, people would simply pick up their glass of wine and take a drink.

At professional tastings, tasters swirl the wine around in the glass vigorously in an attempt to release the aroma or bouquet. Serious enophiles do the same thing, as well as sticking their noses deep into the glass to harvest some fruit or floral components of the wine, and every once in a while, grin knowingly and say something like, “blackberries” or “figs.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It’s a bit like a symphony lover sighing with delight on hearing a perfectly played melody or new arrangement.

Following are some little hints for facilitating an enhanced enjoyment of wine:

1—If you can, use a proper wine glass without a “lip” around the top inside of the glass. This “lip” spreads out the wine instead of the wine going directly into your mouth and negatively affects the taste profile.

2—Only fill the glass 1/3 to ½ full. Therefore, a 10- or 12-ounce glass should be just right in most instances. This way, you can experience a nice bouquet if you take a whiff.

3—In most instances, don’t worry about wine “breathing.” Just pour it in the glass and drink it.

4—The rule about holding the glass by the stem so you won’t heat up the wine is baloney. Think about it—if you have a glass of white wine that is 40-45 degrees, and you pick it up occasionally between bites of food, but hold it by the bowl, does anyone really think it will shoot up to some untenable temperature? And if you do hold it long enough to really affect the temperature, by that time the glass will be empty, so who cares? Unfortunately, this rule is so ensconced now, that one must hold the glass by the stem to appear to be within the rules of wine etiquette.

5—White wine with seafood, white or a light- or medium-red wine with chicken, and bigger reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz, with beef or lamb is a great general rule. But there are exceptions. One is that if you like Chardonnay with your steak, it’s really nobody’s business but yours. As I’ve stated many times, your palate is the best palate in the world for you! Another is Pinot Noir (red) with grilled salmon. The list goes on and on.

6—Finally, how to avoid hangovers (or at least such bad ones):

a.) Don’t drink so much—Duh!

b.)—If you know you’re going to have several glasses of wine with dinner, avoid mixed drinks or beer before dinner

c.)—As soon as you start drinking, start eating. Having two glasses of sparkling wine or white wine on an empty stomach prior to a wine dinner is a recipe for a hangover, not to mention some personality-altering residuals

d.)—If you know you will be having a dessert wine like Port or Sauternes, have less wine with your meal. The combination of the high alcohol (Sauternes around 15% and Port around 18%), and the substantial, natural residual sugar in these wines can exacerbate the effects of too much wine and food. When having a dessert wine, a recommended regimen would be no more than 6 ounces of white wine or sparkling wine with the hors d’oeuvres or appetizer, 6 ounces of red with the entrée and 4 ounces of the dessert wine. As long as I don’t exceed this, I don’t think about the words Tums, Rolaids, Prylosec, Alka-Seltzer, Advil or Benadryl.

In Europe, wine has been thought of as part of a meal for hundreds of years. I sat down to meals in Italy, France and Spain when I was in my 20s, and I don’t remember anyone discussing the wines. After every bite or so of food, people would simply pick up their glass of wine and take a drink.
At professional tastings, tasters swirl the wine around in the glass vigorously in an attempt to release the aroma or bouquet. Serious enophiles do the same thing, as well as sticking their noses deep into the glass to harvest some fruit or floral components of the wine, and every once in a while, grin knowingly and say something like, “blackberries” or “figs.” There is absolutely nothing wrong with this. It’s a bit like a symphony lover sighing with delight on hearing a perfectly played melody or new arrangement.
Following are some little hints for facilitating an enhanced enjoyment of wine:
1—If you can, use a proper wine glass without a “lip” around the top inside of the glass. This “lip” spreads out the wine instead of the wine going directly into your mouth and negatively affects the taste profile.
2—Only fill the glass 1/3 to ½ full. Therefore, a 10- or 12-ounce glass should be just right in most instances. This way, you can experience a nice bouquet if you take a whiff.
3—In most instances, don’t worry about wine “breathing.” Just pour it in the glass and drink it.
4—The rule about holding the glass by the stem so you won’t heat up the wine is baloney. Think about it—if you have a glass of white wine that is 40-45 degrees, and you pick it up occasionally between bites of food, but hold it by the bowl, does anyone really think it will shoot up to some untenable temperature? And if you do hold it long enough to really affect the temperature, by that time the glass will be empty, so who cares? Unfortunately, this rule is so ensconced now, that one must hold the glass by the stem to appear to be within the rules of wine etiquette.
5—White wine with seafood, white or a light- or medium-red wine with chicken, and bigger reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Shiraz, with beef or lamb is a great general rule. But there are exceptions. One is that if you like Chardonnay with your steak, it’s really nobody’s business but yours. As I’ve stated many times, your palate is the best palate in the world for you! Another is Pinot Noir (red) with grilled salmon. The list goes on and on.
6—Finally, how to avoid hangovers (or at least such bad ones):
a.) Don’t drink so much—Duh!
b.)—If you know you’re going to have several glasses of wine with dinner, avoid mixed drinks or beer before dinner
c.)—As soon as you start drinking, start eating. Having two glasses of sparkling wine or white wine on an empty stomach prior to a wine dinner is a recipe for a hangover, not to mention some personality-altering residuals
d.)—If you know you will be having a dessert wine like Port or Sauternes, have less wine with your meal. The combination of the high alcohol (Sauternes around 15% and Port around 18%), and the substantial, natural residual sugar in these wines can exacerbate the effects of too much wine and food. When having a dessert wine, a recommended regimen would be no more than 6 ounces of white wine or sparkling wine with the hors d’oeuvres or appetizer, 6 ounces of red with the entrée and 4 ounces of the dessert wine. As long as I don’t exceed this, I don’t think about the words Tums, Rolaids, Prylosec, Alka-Seltzer, Advil or Benadryl.
November 9th, 2009 in Uncategorized

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