Mentioning wine may invoke feelings of good food, relaxation and the greater things in life. Even if you don’t drink a lot, learning what you can about wine is useful. For example, you can use wine in cooking, hosting a dinner party or even enjoying a glass at the end of a stressful day.
If you enjoy cooking, try incorporating wine into your dinner menu. Wine can be used in a variety of cooking formats including sauces and marinades. If you have small children, you need not be concerned about cooking with wine as most of the alcohol is cooked out during the cooking process.
Do you need a wine all your guests will enjoy? Instead of choosing a rare wine people might not appreciate, choose a Beaujolais, a Chilean, a Sauvignon or a Cava from Spain. These wines are easy to find and offer enough diversity to remain interesting for connoisseurs without making novices feel like they are sophisticated enough to enjoy the wine.
When storing wines, you should make sure they reach a temperature of 57 degrees. This is the best temperature to serve a wine, but you might want to chill your white wines or let your red wines warm a little by simply placing the bottle on the table half an hour before your meal.
Use different glasses for red and white wine. White wines taste better in a small glass because it prevents air from hitting the drink. Alternately, red wines are best served in wide-mouth glasses. You will get more air in the wine this way and it will warm up.
One of the fastest ways that you can chill a bottle of wine is to place it into a container that is filled with water and ice. Gently lower the bottle into this container and you will be able to chill it to drinking standards within 30 minutes or so.
If you go to a restaurant with a sommelier, do not hesitate to ask for help when choosing your wine. The sommelier will know everything about the wines on the menu and will even be able to make a personalized recommendation if you let them know what kind of wine you usually enjoy.
It is important to know how to peel a wine bottle label off. A simple way is to put your bottle in an oven, allow it to heat up, grab it with a pair of mitts, and begin peeling from the corner.
Don’t be afraid to play with the temperature of your wine. Some wine is best chilled, while others taste wonderful at room temperature. Experiment a little and see what works best for you and your palate. Be careful, though, with white wine. You don’t want it to be too cold when you drink it.
Now do you realize the benefits of learning about wine? It is not all about drinking wine. There is more to wine than just a delicious drink. Implement the information given in this article and you’ll soon reap the benefits.