With the coming holiday season, you will want to stock your wine cooler with a variety of delicious wine to serve your guests. With an enhanced understanding of all things wine-related, you can start to get more from each bottle and glass. You can also gain a better idea of which wines should be paired with certain holiday menus.

Read up as much as you can on wine through books and magazines. In these works, you will find that some of the best wine connoisseurs in the world rate some of the most popular wines. This will help you to decide what wines you want to buy if you have yet to try them.

Avoid buying trendy wines. You may hear a lot of buzz about a new wine; however, this does not make it right for you. Just because a celebrity is seen drinking a wine, this does not make it noteworthy. The real truth is in researching the wine itself and knowing if it suits your palate.

If you plan to learn about and collect wines, invest in proper storage. Wine is best when kept in a cooler, more humid environment. Many people prefer to build out a basement or cellar for storing wine. However, if your needs are smaller, there are many options for in-home storage on the market.

Do you need a wine all your guests will enjoy? Instead of choosing a rare wine people might not appreciate, choose a Beaujolais, a Chilean, a Sauvignon or a Cava from Spain. These wines are easy to find and offer enough diversity to remain interesting for connoisseurs without making novices feel like they are sophisticated enough to enjoy the wine.

Wine makes for a terrific sauce for beef dishes. Just mix a bit of high quality butter with a little red wine. Let the sauce simmer in order for it to get thick and cook off the alcohol. When finished, pour it lightly over whatever beef dish you are fixing.

When storing wines, you should make sure they reach a temperature of 57 degrees. This is the best temperature to serve a wine, but you might want to chill your white wines or let your red wines warm a little by simply placing the bottle on the table half an hour before your meal.

If you are new to the world of wine, consider attending a wine festival. Festivals are a wonderful way to meet other people with an interest in wines and try several varieties without breaking the bank. You can also get some great ideas about pairing wines with foods. The fun and festive atmosphere also provides for a great date night out.

If you tend to get headaches right after drinking wine, you should try a different kind of wine. For instance, some people only get headaches from red wines. If the headaches persist, you should go to your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to keep drinking wine.

Do not avoid joining wine forums. These forums are a fun way to learn a lot about wine, as well as making new friends. Prior to signing up, read over the boards to find out if you might enjoy joining.

Most bottles you purchase will have warnings about the sulfite content. All wine contains sulfite. However, American wines put warnings on their labels. In rare cases, sulfites cause severe allergic reactions. However, if sulfites haven’t bothered you before, they shouldn’t now.

Every true wine lover needs to explore wine country at least once in their life. These places are both scenic and educational regarding wine.

A good tip if you’re interested in drinking wine is to make sure you serve your wine out of a good glass. You don’t want to serve your guests wine out of something silly and embarrass yourself A good wine glass should be large, have thin glass, and a long stem.

Keep a journal just for wine. The easiest way to keep track of the wines that you enjoy and the ones that you do not like is to keep a list of them. You can also include the foods that you drank them with so that you can repeat the experience if you like.

Many red wines are matured in oak barrels for far longer than white wine would be. This adds tannins from the wood into the wine, creating a complex flavor. This would be too much for the subtle flavor of a white wine, so they are rarely aged in this manner.

The proper method for storing wine depends on its type and region. Rioja wine, which is very popular, can be stores for up to seven years. It is stored in cool, dark places and will taste great when you are ready for it.

Wine comes in many forms, from white wine to red wine. Know what wines you’re interested in before visiting the liquor store. The article above can help you make wine and food pairings like a pro.