Not every bottle of wine is the same, of course. Each unique flavor profile is what gives a wine its personality. It’s important you have a good wine knowledge before you take your next sip, so keep reading to learn all you can from the great expert advice listed below.
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.
Buy only one bottle of each wine. If you find that you like a particular wine a great deal it can be very tempting to want to buy a lot of it at once to save money, but this is often a bad idea. Instead, buy only one to ensure that you do not fill your cellar with one type.
If you are looking for a good deal on wine, try to purchase it from the rack at a liquor store. Generally, you will find that these are the items that are on sale or the dealer wants to get rid of the fastest. The quality of these wines has not dissipated though, so you can score a great deal this way.
A great tip if you love wine is to look into joining an online message board that caters to fellow wine lovers. There are message boards for literally all kinds of communities. This is great because you’ll be able to connect with people that share the same interests, and you’ll learn a lot.
Read up on wine during your free time. The more that you learn about wine, the better you will be at picking new wines to add to your collection. There is a lot to know, so spend time learning when you can if you want to become a true wine connoisseur.
It may seem very enticing to fill your glass with wine all the way to the top. However, most people don’t understand that the proper way to serve wine is to fill the glass to about one third of the way. This enables the drinker to swirl the wine and fully distribute the taste.
If you are at a restaurant where the prices of the wine are outrageous, do not be ashamed to order beer. Sometimes, restaurants will jack up their prices knowing that the customer is coming to drink wine and will purchase it anyway. This can help save you a lot of money in the long run.
If you are cooking with wine, don’t hesitate to ask the wine shop-owner/manager for advice. He or she has likely tasted most of the wines available, and can give you an educated suggestion for wines that will enhance your recipe. The shop may even have wine on hand for tasting.
Want to know how grappa is made? Grape skins, called pomace, which remain from making wine are distilled. This ferments them to create a very strong beverage which is perfect as an aparatif or digestif. Want a real kick in your coffee? Add some grappa for a real wake-me-up in the morning!
Break out of the pairings mythology. It’s not the case that reds only taste good with meats and whites only with fish. There are wines on both sides that pair up well with these dishes. Open up your mind to experimenting with these variations. Otherwise you may be limiting your creativity with wine!
Don’t bother to get expensive wine if you are cooking with it. Most of the wine’s alcohol content cooks off as you make your dish, and the other ingredients will add taste to whatever wine you choose. Save the expensive stuff to drink separately when you sit down to your meal.
When stocking your wine collection at home, opt to purchase experimental bottles before buying full cases. With such a vast number of different wines out there, you want to expose yourself to as many wines as possible before committing to a case. Keep your collection full of ‘educational’ bottles.
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.
With the knowledge you’ve gained here, you should be able to move forward and impress others with your great wine knowledge. Take the time to continue reading on this site and others to broaden your horizons. You’ll never look at wine the same way once you know as much as you can!