Do you feel like you’re out of the loop when it comes to entertaining or cooking with wine? Perhaps you don’t know what is good, or perhaps you’re not sure about correlating your use of wine with the foods you eat. Learn more by reading this article, and find out more about wine.

If you are new to wine tasting, you should know that true connoisseurs actually spit the wine after tasting it. Spitting the wine is the best way to avoid overpowering your taste buds so you can keep tasting other wines. Take a small sip of wine, wait a few seconds to feel all its different flavors and spit it.

Decrease the amount of wine you drink if you notice a headache after drinking it to accompany a meal. Your headaches may be caused by the sulfites contained in wine. Drink water on off days, to filter some of the wine out of your system.

Do not write a certain wine off just because a wine tester does not like it. Just like with many other beverages, certain wines require an acquired taste. Even if he or she does not like it, you may find it to be to your liking. See if you can get a sample of it before buying a bottle.

While some types of wine get better with age, others behave quite differently. Keep this in mind before you prepare to stash a bottle away. You must conduct some research into whether your wine will stand the test of time, even if stored correctly. Bordeaux wine ages well.

The proper method for storing wine depends on its type and region. Rioja is a popular wine in the United States, and stays fresh for up to seven years. Keep your Rioja in a cool and dark area until you are ready to drink it.

Most people cannot afford a wine cellar in their home, but that does not mean you cannot create an atmosphere that is conducive to storing a few great bottles of wine. Try to store you wine in a darker location where the temperature will remain fairly consistent. Doing this will preserve the quality of your bottles of wine until you are ready to drink them.

Remember that rules were made to be broken, even when it comes to selecting wine. Just because the “norm” indicates you should pair red wine with red meat and white with fish, chicken or salad, doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. Enjoy your meal with your favorite wine, no matter who says they go together!

Before visiting your favorite restaurant and mulling over which wine to chose, check out their website. Most fine dining establishments will post their wine list on the site, leaving you plenty of time to investigate the possibilities. Consider your entree in advance and research the wine that will best complement it.

Varietal wines are made with just one type of grape. Among them are Pinot Noir and Syrah. To call itself this, a wine must be made up of at least ninety percent from the juice of one varietal. The remaining ten percent determines the part that changes the flavor of the wine.

Visit a wine tasting festival next time one is held in your area. It’s a great way to enjoy the company of a few friends and can provide you with a mini-education on wines. Try different varieties and make sure you bring a notebook to mark down which types you really enjoyed!

When choosing a wine glass, select one that is large (around 20 to 22 ounces). With this size, you can swirl the wine around more freely. Furthermore, select a glass wine that is clear and thin with a long stem. Make sure the glass curves slightly inward at the top.

The first time you taste a wine, sip it and breathe in air over top of it in your mouth. This means you will be slurping. Let the wine swirl throughout the mouth so that you detect bitter, sweet, salty and acidic notes. Breathing in allows you to fully enjoy the complexities of the flavor and smell of the wine.

Try the wine before buying it if you can. Trust your personal taste since that is what matters in the end. You might end up buying a wine that others like, but you don’t. There are several wine stores that have tasting bars where you can sample wines. If your store doesn’t have that, try buying a single bottle before buying anymore to make sure you like it.

Next time you go to buy a bottle of wine, whether to entertain socially or use to cook, you should be more equipped with the right knowledge. Use what you’ve learned here to make things easier on you. Wine can be used to impress, and you now have the tools.