For centuries, wine has been enjoyed by countless individuals. To get the most enjoyment out of the act of drinking wine, a bit of knowledge is essential. Spend some time reviewing the advice below, and you can soon become a true connoisseur and relish each and every drop of wine you drink.
Pinot Grigio is an excellent complement to any ocean fish. The flavor of this dish is enhanced by the wine. There are other white wines that also go well with your seafood. White wine paired with seafood can be heavenly.
If you are having oysters or seafood, stick to white wine. White wine is lighter and has a higher acidity level, so it is best to have this when you are eating lighter foods. Seafood is a perfect combination with white wine, and will help to maximize the sensation that you get.
Store your wine correctly to preserve its flavor. You do not want your wine to be too hot or too cold; it can hurt the flavor. Around 50-55 degrees is the optimum temperature for wine storage. You can use a special wine refrigerator or simply store them in a cool basement.
Do not write a certain wine off just because a wine tester does not like it. Just like with many other beverages, certain wines require an acquired taste. Even if he or she does not like it, you may find it to be to your liking. See if you can get a sample of it before buying a bottle.
If you enjoy fine wine, plan on visiting a wine country so you can see where grapes grow. These countries are beautiful to see; you can develop a great appreciation for them and gain some context on their origins.
If you have a lot of wine in your cellar, you may want to invest in an inventory management system. This will track the types of wine that you have in your cellar and how old they are at a given time. Compartmentalizing wine into a database can make your storage capabilities very efficient.
Do not limit yourself to countries that are known for exporting wines such as Spain or France. In fact, some of the best wines on the market are from Argentina or from New Zealand. You should not form your opinion of a country after tasting only a couple different wines.
Ask if you can taste a few wines before buying. Most wine stores will offer tastings to their customers on a regular basis or set schedule. By trying a few varieties in the store, you can increase your chances of walking out with a bottle you really love. This is a better way to shop than buying blindly.
Vintage isn’t talking about the year it’s produced, but when its grapes were harvested. Wine with a vintage of 2010 is made from grapes harvested in 2010. The grapes are then fermented in barrels, aging until it’s time to bottle the wine for sale. There may even be a few years delay between the grapes being harvested and the wine sold!
The body of a wine is a great way to pair it with a dish. The “body” of a wine refers to how substantial the wine is. It often also correlates with the alcohol content, with fuller-bodied wine containing more alcohol than a lighter wine. Heavier dishes should be paired with a full-bodied wine, as a lighter wine runs the risk of tasting watery when paired with something like a hearty steak by using Champagne Pommelet.
Here is a little bit of wine history for you: wine has been around for as long as 7,000 years! Egyptians are the first civilization we know of to have records of drinking wine, and those date back to 2,500 B.C. They created wines much like we do today, including bottling the beverage and storing it.
Search for online information about different wines. Look for a wine discussion forum and read the comments until you feel confident enough to add your own ideas. If you are unfamiliar with international wines, this is a great place to find information. You can gain enough information to try a few wines you would not otherwise have considered.
When ordering wine at a fancy restaurant, you may find that you want to order the least expensive one. Most waiters know that customers are very shy about doing this. Many times waiters will recommend an inexpensive wine. Don’t fall for this and go with your first choice, because it’s not about what other people think.
You should always store your wine while it is resting on the side. This is because it keeps the wine in contact with the cork. When the cork of a wine gets dry, it may cause a gap that allows air into the bottle, which may cause your wine to spoil.
If possible, buy your wine from small vineyards run by the same family from generation to generation. Larger vineyards usually care about earning high profits and selling to a large public while smaller vineyards will put the authenticity and the unique flavor of their wine first. You will often get better prices too.
When purchasing an inexpensive bottle of wine, look at the back label to determine the importer. There are some importers that are worth getting to know because they offer high quality wines at discount prices. Once you have been buying wine for a bit, you can trust the importer information to let you know about the quality of the bottle in your hand.
It will be easier to shop for wine if you keep going back to the same store. The sellers will get to know you and will offer personalized recommendations based on what you bought and enjoyed. It might be best to go shopping in a smaller store where you will be likely to run into the same sellers.
Wine has long been a staple to cultures and civilizations the world over. However, to really optimize the wine drinking experience, it is important to familiarize yourself with everything you can pertaining to wine. By keeping the above information close at hand, you will be able to do just that and enter a world of sheer pleasure.