
Are you on edge when wine shopping? Do you know why Burgundy and Merlot are different? All you need to do to shop confidently is learn the basics. The tips offered below will allow you to get started.
Seafood is nicely complemented by a good Pinot Grigio. The wine brings out the amazing flavor of seafood and vice versa. Besides Pinot Grigio, many other white wines complement seafood well. White wine and seafood make for a great match.
Properly store your wine to keep the flavor fresh. Wines can be damaged by extremes in heat or cold, adversely affecting the flavor. Try to keep wine at around 50 degrees as a rule of thumb. Use a refrigerator made for wine or have them stored inside your cool basement.
Try to arrange a tasting before you make a purchase, no matter how well reviewed a wine may be. Given the wide variety of options, it can be hard to tell whether you will enjoy a given wine. Instead of buying a whole case of the wine, just buy one bottle.
Discussion forums offer valuable insight on wine and all it has to offer. You can find some great ones online, and learn more about wine. Before you go and sign up, however, be sure that you read over the boards before proceeding to see if you like the discussions there.
Sulfite warnings shouldn’t frighten you. Every wine contains sulfites, but these days American distributors must warn about them on the label. In rare instances, sulfites may cause an allergic reaction to certain individuals.
You might want to consider a bottle with a screw-on cap if you are purchasing wine to be served at a tailgate party. These tops are much easier to remove than the standard corks. If you want to bring the wine to another location, re-seal the bottle with the screw top.
Get out of your area of comfort when you buy wine in a restaurant. If impressing people that you’re eating with is something you want to do, pick out an obscure wine. They will find a new, unexpected flavor and won’t be surprised by the high price tag.
Wine experts can be a great source of knowledge, but you need to understand that not everything they say will be applicable to you. The best wine critics are willing to admit their mistakes. Remember that no two people share the exact same tastes, regardless of expertise–or lack thereof. Do not take their word as gospel.
Everyone should know an easy way to remove the label from a wine bottle. Ii is easy–just heat the bottle and then peel the label.
Dessert Wines
Having a glass of wine after a good meal is something most people enjoy, which is why you should keep some good dessert wines around. Great choices for dessert wines are Italian Moscato, French Champagne or California Port. Your guests can talk quietly while savoring delicious wine, with a glowing fire nearby.
Don’t overbuy on wines you love today. It won’t hurt to get a few wines, but your taste in wine generally changes continually. Therefore, you may enjoy a particular wine right now, but it is possible that you might not later. When this happens, you’ll end up with a wine you do not consume, meaning you wasted both money and time.
When tasting wine properly, you need to begin by tipping the glass to check the color. Gently swirl the wine around your glass and take a deep breath in to get the full effect. You then take just a little sip of wine, give it a taste and then spit it back out.
To enjoy wine tasting, do it in a calm environment with little background noise. Tasting wine in a noisy or disruptive environment won’t allow you to appreciate everything the wine has to offer. Loud music, harsh lighting and other distractions won’t allow you to focus on your wine experience, so try to avoid them when making your opinion.
Hopefully this article has provided you with a greater confidence about wine. Try taking this article with you when you shop for wine the next time. You can refer to it if you are overwhelmed by the available selection. Now, you can select the best bottle of wine for your needs.