Wine HintsCORKS Let's be honest! Corks aren't essential for most wines, only perhaps those venerable bottles that you want to keep for a decade or so. Most would be better serviced with a screw cap. But corks make wine different ... they are part of the romance, the courtship, the ceremony of opening a bottle.
Corks, however, can also bring with them unwanted musty flavours that spoil a wine, so there has been much research into finding an alternative. Headway has been made and you may, from time to time, find a synthetic cork-lookalike when you 'pop' open a bottle of wine. FINE WINES What's the definition of 'fine wine'?
Generally this term is reserved for exceptional wines from the world's best vineyards, the highest quality grapes and the most acclaimed winemakers. Over a period of years, they've achieved 'blue chip' status - Grand Cru clarets and Burgundies are classic examples. Due to demand such wines can command anything from around £10 to £100 or more a bottle.
Are they worth it?
It's a bit like asking a car enthusiast if a Ferrari is worth the money. (If you see it as a means of getting from A to B the answer is probably no). If wine is just a drink like any other, then perhaps no. But if wine is a genuine interest and if your enjoyment of it encourages you to experience greater, more complex, richer and satisfying bottles then this is an area you ought to be exploring.
If I spend twice as much will it be twice as good?
Yes ... no ... well, sometimes. A £12 bottle of wine may well be twice as good as a £6 bottle ... but over and above this level though the value for money becomes more subjective. To a degree, you're paying a premium for perfection because it's so rare and so hard to achieve. You need therefore to buy with caution to avoid expensive mistakes.
How do I know what to buy?
As with any specialist product the most important thing is expert advice from someone you trust. How Can We Help You? have responded to customers' requests by setting up The Fine Wine Service and vastly expanding our range of fine wines. We don't buy on name and reputation - we select with great care, always taste 'blind' and ensure that all wines are very competitively priced. Backed by our unconditional guarantee you can buy with complete confidence.
IDEAL TEMPERATURE
Nothing mars a wine more than serving it at the wrong temperature. Crisp, dry whites, rosé, sweet and sparkling wines (an hour in the fridge); less chilling allows richer whites to show off their complexity (30 minutes at most in the fridge); heavy reds served too cold will taste teeth-furringly tannic so serve at room temperature; and light reds can benefit from being lightly chilled (20 minutes in the fridge).
QUICK FIXES
For chilling white or sparkling wine or chilling overheated red, ice and water is better than just ice. Chiller jackets also do the job in about five minutes. If you need a red wine warmed in a hurry, put the corked bottle briefly in a bowl of warm water. TIPS ON TASTING Don't think tasting is for a few privileged palates. Everyone who enjoys a glass of wine can taste wine 'properly'. All it takes is a little extra concentration and a few pointers on what to look for. Here are simple guidelines on how to gain maximum pleasure from every mouthful!
APPEARANCE
Hold your glass, just a third full, at an angle of about 45° against a white surface and look at the colour at the rim and at the centre.
A young red will have a pinkish-purple rim, an old wine a tawny-brown edge. A light-bodied red will be less deep in colour than a fuller-bodied one.
Crisp, light whites will be pale straw in hue, older, richer or sweeter whites are more golden. Generally, white wines gain colour with age, while red wines lose it.
AROMA
The bouquet of a wine is even more important than its taste - as more than half of its flavour is contained in its volatile aromas. Draw a couple of imaginary circles with your glass on a flat surface to swirl the wine around. Then sniff. Your first impression will always be the strongest; after that your nose will gradually tire.
Notice its initial taste (its attack), what flavours develop next (its middle palate) and
TASTE
Then take a good sip - taking in enough wine to bathe the whole of your mouth. its finish.
smooth, fruity red for drinking now? Are the rich flavours of a white wine balanced How long do the flavours last? Is it a young tannic wine with enough fruit to age or a by enough acidity, or is the acidity of a fresh white balanced by sufficient fruit? HINTS
Most of your tasting will occur as part of your drinking; you will hopefully just notice more of the flavours in your glass. However, for a more formal tasting: ? Use a room with plenty of daylight, so you get a true picture of a wine's colour.
? Don't try to smell and taste wine in an atmosphere heavy in smoke or scent.
? You don't need to spit out your precious samples, but your head won't be clear for long!
? Dispense with all food except dry water biscuits.
Your wines should follow a simple order: whites before reds, dry before sweet, light before heavy, young before old and cheapest first. Enjoy it!
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