Few things in life have the ability to enchant and delight the way a perfect glass of wine can. In order to truly revel in the glories of the vine, it is necessary to take a bit of time and learn all you can about the subject. The article that follows is intended to help you do just that.
Read up as much as you can on wine through books and magazines. In these works, you will find that some of the best wine connoisseurs in the world rate some of the most popular wines. This will help you to decide what wines you want to buy if you have yet to try them.
Use your judgement when you are deciding on what wine to purchase. For instance, if you have a friend who is into a specific type of wine, but you hate it with a passion, don’t just blindly accept your friend’s recommendation. You will save yourself from throwing away your money on a wine you already know you’re not likely to enjoy.
Keep a wine journal. Write down the names of wines that you taste and what you think of them. Over time, this will develop into a great resource for you. It is also nice to look back and see where you came from and what direction you are headed in when it comes to your wine preferences.
Never fill your wine glass to the brim. This does not leave any space for you to swirl the wine around. When you move wine around, it releases an aroma and flavors that you would not have noticed otherwise. This means that a wine you only liked a little may actually be one of your favorites if served the right way.
Get to as many wine tastings as you possibly can. Taste as many different kinds of wine as you can, and you learn a lot in the process. Not only will you learn about the various kinds of wine, you also learn about wine in general and how to learn good wines from bad very quickly. Just remember that you need to spit!
A dessert wine is a perfect way to end a dinner. California Port makes for a good dessert wine. So does Champagne and the Italian Moscato. Your dinner guests will love sitting by a warm fire, enjoying their wine and having a great conversation.
Try having some merlot with your steak. The fat and umami flavors found in steak, especially medium-rare or rarer, need acidity to cut through their flavor profile. Red wine is already a popular pairing for meat. The heavier acidity and fruit of merlot can really liven up your steak dish.
The real flavor of wine comes from the smell. Smell makes up about 90% of the overall taste of wine. The key to bringing this out in the wine is oxygen. When you pour a glass of wine, swirl it in the glass. This allows the wine to mix more readily with the oxygen around it, thus enhancing the flavor fully.
It can be fun to try out different wines. Variety is the spice of life. Avoid picking up the same flavor over and over again. Choose a different country or a different year to keep things interesting. You might even save some money.
If you enjoy storing wines in your home, consider investing in a small wine cooler. Wine coolers are meant to keep the temperature of the bottles around fifty five degrees, which is considered the ideal temperature for wine. They are relatively small, inexpensive and can even add a decorative touch to your kitchen, dining room or living room.
When working on your food and wine pairing abilities, practice is critical. You may be surprised by food and wine pairings that you discover. You may play it safe; however, avid wine lovers aren’t afraid to try new things.
Always check the label of the wines you buy. This is a good way to get an idea of where the wine comes from, how popular it is and sometimes you will an accurate description of its taste and aroma. You will eventually identify your favorite distributors and recognize the best wines at a glance.
Wine can be saved. Once you finish drinking from the bottle for the evening, close it back up and refrigerate it. The wine should be good for about a day. If you leave it out at room temperature, however, it will eventually go bad because bacteria can grow. There are no hard and fast rules about how long wine is good for, so use your palate to guide you and refrigerate as soon as you know you are finished drinking.
Look for clearance wines at your local grocery and liquor stores. Wine is an ever changing business so retailers are constantly clearing their shelves to make room for new wine options. The great thing is that it can work in your favor if you are looking to try new wines, as you will save money and have a constant flow of options.
Avoid seeking out only the highly rated, highest priced wines for your collection. While you may feel this will end up in the best wines, this is simply not true. There are plenty of moderately priced wines out there that are just magnificent. Make sure that your collection has as much variety as possible.
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.
Wine has the unique ability to enhance and improve most of life’s experiences. Learning all you can about wine is a great way to make your wine drinking experience even better than you thought possible. The piece above should have given you a head start on your journey to becoming a true expert.
