Wine country is undiscovered country for many people. Some people do not know what wine pairs nicely with what foods, or even what some good wines to try might be. This article is for those people to learn more about food wine. Here, you will get an overview about food-wine relations and what wines typically go with what foods. No longer do people have to be ignorant about their food and wine combinations.
First of all, the old, traditional rule that white wine goes with fish and poultry and red wine goes with red meats is still a good rule to follow. The basic rule for food wine is that the tastes of the food and wine should react well with each other. Each bite of food should cover any taste of wine and any taste of wine should cover the taste of the food. Drinking wine with food is designed to be more of a palate cleanser, so that each bite of food tastes as good as the first and it is the same for the wine. You will know that a wine is a bad match for the food if you can taste the one or the other, over the other item. Of course, with so many different styles of foods mixed together in one dish, it makes it harder to pair wine to food. Another good rule to follow when trying to match foods and wines is to pair heavier wines with heavier dishes.
The main determination for food wine combinations is the balance of sweetness, acidity and bitterness of both the food and wine. It is pretty easy to figure out what wine should go with what foods by considering the wine and food characteristics. If a sweet food is being served, pair it with a sweeter wine. For bitter foods, a more bitter wine is in order. The best way to determine the acidity of a food is to determine if it would go better with more acid added. For example, adding lemon to a fish means that a more acidic wine should be consumed. Some common white wines that are acidic are: Rieslings, most sparkling wines and white Bordeauxs. Acidic red wines include: Gamays, Pinot Noirs and Sangioveses. Sweet white wines include: White Zinfandels, other forms of Rieslings and Chenin Blancs. Sweet red wines can include: Port and Lambrusco. There are not many bitter white wines, but there are some bitter red wines. These can include, red Zinfandels, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons.
So there you have it, an overview about the very basic elements to food wine parings and how to determine which wines should be paired with what foods. The world of wine is very broad, but these simple rules can definitely help keep newcomers to the world of wine on the right track. If you are interested in learning more, then join a wine club or check out some books that cover the subject. You will be glad you did.
Filed under Wine by 
Having invested possibly hundreds of dollars in your latest bottle of vintage wine (ah well, we can but dream), the next important decision is region to store this prized possession? The main issue when it defining moment to storing wine is that it needs to be maintained at a cool temperature of between 12 and 16 degrees Celsius. Shoved under the bed won’t do.
Many modern wines do not need to be aged over a great period of time; therefore extensive cellars are often unnecessary. Having said this, if you have the time, space and resource to excavate a cellar, your wine will surely benefit. A purpose built cellar is not normally an option for most households and so suitable alternatives must be explored.
Ideal areas for storage include a corner of a garage, garden shed, an unused fireplace or a cupboard that is against an outside wall.
Wherever you choose to store your wine, a few basic criteria are worth keeping in mind.
Choose an area that is less likely to be subjected to fluctuating temperatures caused by household heating systems.
Wines benefit from being kept in dark conditions. Although this is not always practical, wine should certainly be stored in an area that is not exposed it to direct sunlight.
As a final point, always store your red wine bottles on their side. Corks are designed to be kept moist, so that they remain airtight and do not crumble when a corkscrew is inserted.
Bear in mind that some wines do not benefit from being stored at all. If you have poor or no storage facilities available, consider purchasing wine that matures quickly such as most white wines or new technology reds or, possibly, a new Beaujolais.
Move white wine as little as possible once it has been placed in storage, unless of course it is being moved into a glass!
If you have a particularly special wine collection, it may be worth engaging a specialist company to store your wine for you. Good storage has been recognized as vital for many wines and as such, many companies now provide storage facilities. Of course, this does not fall in cheap and is best reserved for those amply special bottles or for those experts who are considering selling their wine on, at a future date.
Decanting is a strange word to many people. Some do not even know story it means exactly. Taking the sophistication out of it, decanting literally means pouring the wine from the bottle to a special glass container. This is done in order to expose the wine to oxygen and enrich it.
What is the meaning of this process? Do all wines benefit from decanting or not? The wine experts are not in agreement. Some say wine should be decanted in order to allow it to “breathe” and develop fully before consumption. Others claim decanting does not contribute to the quality of the wine.
So who is right? Well, the truth is somewhere in the middle. Decanting does seem to benefit certain wines more captious others. Most red wines, except for the very aged and some white ones would definitely benefit from decanting 1-2 hours before serving. Young red wines, on the other hand, which are low in tannins, light and fruity, would not improve if allowed to oxidize. There are also wines specifically would actually suffer from decanting. Those are the aged reds. Their quality could worsen if allowed too much contact with air.
Filed under Wine by
The birth of wine refrigerators has been a welcome addition. Most of us simply don’t have space, nor can we afford a walk in, built in cellar. Happily, we can now access these handy storage systems at virtually any size or price. If you have made the move to join a wine club, then one of these appliances will be needed to properly store your monthly deliveries.
It’s no secret that we’ve all grown in our appreciation of wines these days. No matter if you’re a dedicated Red Wine enthusiast, or simply enjoy a chilled White Wine on a hot day, the days of Baby Duck & other utterly gross boxed wines are long gone.
Nowadays just about everyone has a supply of their favorites on hand in their homes, but therein lies a problem, just where do you store that precious liquid.
Many people that enjoy both Red & Whites will look for a “dual zone” wine refrigerator, where each zone can be individually temperature controlled, or on occasion it makes sense to simply purchase two units.
Like all things you get what you pay for. The more expensive units will be better insulated, have special treated glass panels which help maintain a constant temperature, as well as better control humidity levels. These can be particularly important if your appliance is stored in an area with fluctuating temperatures, maybe an outside garage for example.
If you’re planning on having your unit within the home, the décor of the wine refrigerator will be something you’ll need to consider. Many models are actually like fine pieces of furniture, with embossed glass panels, decorative woods, & subdued backlighting.
Wine enjoyment is a social experience, and it’s especially nice to have your collection appropriately displayed, and thus a center of conversation with your friends.
Size matters! If you’re just starting to be purchasing & storing wines good advice would be to buy a wine refrigerator larger than you had initially thought necessary. However if you dwell in an apartment where there is not an abundance of space, there are may “apartment sized” units available, from “Counter Top”, to “Under the Counter” models.
Do you imbibe in a wine from a variety of countries? Enjoy some really good champagne? Then you’ll appreciate getting a unit that boasts adjustable shelving, as a lot of these come in non standard sized bottles.
Much more for less? If the words “some assembly required” doesn’t scare you, then consider purchasing a unit that requires a little assembly. Often the savings you’ll reap by doing this will enable you to afford a much larger unit than you would have otherwise. Often you can store up to 400 bottles in perfect conditions and in a fairly inexpensive way.
Are you a proud collector? Need optimum storage & temperature control for anywhere from 1000 – 2500 bottles?Then a modular wine room may be what you should consider. These rooms are, prepackaged, relatively simple to assemble, and best of all, due to them arriving in pieces, can be assembled in a room, (such as basement), that you would never be able to fit a ready assembled unit into.
Now that you’ve an idea of what your needs are we highly recommend you visit the Wine Enthusiast, our choice for a huge variety of wine refrigerators , with every conceivable make, model and price range.
Cheers!
Filed under Wine by
