Knowing your wines makes you a sophisticated consumer. There are many things to learn about wine and this article offers many tips to help you learn everything there is about wine. Continue to read to expand your knowledge about wine.
Store your wine in the right way if you wish to preserve its flavor. Temperatures that are extremely hot or extremely cold can damage the taste of any wine. Let these wines develop their flavors by storing them at about 50 or so degrees. You can buy a special wine fridge or put the bottles in a cool basement.
Get a wine cellar should you wish to make the most of the wine you buy. Wine cellars are especially good for expensive wines that can’t be stored in normal places. Any wine that will be kept for an amount of time can be preserved well within a wine cellar.
Inexpensive wine can be good at times. Chilean wines taste great and are more affordable than wines from other places in the world. Many of their wines are prices reasonably. Cabernet Sauvignon is a fantastic wine for its price. Other international favorites include labels from New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.
Red Wines
Make sure that you designate the proper wine glasses for reds and whites. White wines taste better in a small glass because it prevents air from hitting the drink. Red wines, though, are best sipped in a wide container. The rich flavors of red wines will awaken as the wine warms up to room temperature and is exposed to air.
There are many types of wine, and not all should be aged. Do some research on the wine type you have and how long it will stay good. For example, Bordeaux ages marvelously if stored properly.
Keep many different kinds of wine. Stocking up only on a single type, such as Pinot Noir or Zinfandel, is far too restrictive. Include sweet, white, red and sparkling if your desire is to be an ideal host.
Sparkling wine and champagne should always be served chilled. Room temperature will not do for these varieties. Put your champagne inside a good refrigerator to serve it chilled.
White wines should be drunk within the first couple of years they are out. This is not true of Chardonnay, however. This is because you do not usually need oak for the fermentation of white wine. The rule may be flipped for many varieties of reds on the market.
Vintage means that it is the year the grapes were harvested, not when the wine was actually made. A 2010 wine would have grapes harvested in autumn of 2010, for example. After the grapes were harvested, they were fermented and aged and then the bottling occurred. The bottle of wine would end up in the stores around 2011 or 2012!
The Internet teems with information about the different sorts of wine, including the years, tastes, and those who sell it. Just print off what you want to know and store it in a binder – you can refer to it when you are wine shopping. Ask wine store staff for advice, or your local sommelier, to ensure you get the right label.
Never let someone else’s opinion affect your wine taste. You want a wine that you like; that is what is most important. This is generally a good rule to go by. It is your personal taste that determines whether a wine is good, nothing else. If someone doesn’t like a wine you are drinking, wonderful! It means you won’t have to share it.
When you taste a wine, begin tilting your glass a bit to look at its color. Gently swirl the wine around your glass and take a deep breath in to get the full effect. You need to take a short sip of wine, savor it and then spit it out.
As was stated in the beginning of this article, knowing your wine is a great way to show off your sophistication, however this is much easier said than done. Use the advice you’ve learned when approaching your next wine decision. Soon, you’ll become a pro.
