Choosing the right bottle of wine to serve at your next gathering is not easy. There are so many factors that determine how good a bottle of wine tastes or how you should take care of it before the next party. The following article is equipped with great tips to help you ensure your next bottle of wine is a great tasting one!
Attend as many wine tastings that you can during the course of the year. This can be very beneficial for you as it allows you to get an idea of some of the newer wines that are on the market. This will help you to gain a better appreciation for all wine has to offer.
If you are having red meats, stick to red wine. This is the general principle, and should rarely be veered away from. Red wine helps to bring out the flavor in the steak or meat that you choose and vice versa, giving you the best possible experience while you are eating lunch or dinner.
When you store your wine properly, you enhance the flavor it can produce. You do not want your wine to be too hot or too cold; it can hurt the flavor. For the best taste, allow the flavor of your wine to develop by storing it between 50 and 55 degrees. Specialized wine fridges can be used, or wines can be kept in cool basement spaces.
Consider purchasing a wine from a lesser-known region of the world. While everyone gravitates toward wines from France or California, there are great varieties to be found most everywhere! You might find a lovely red wine in North Carolina or a never heard winery in Australia. Give a few a try, and enjoy the variety, they bring to your table.
Purchase the Magnum bottles in the store, which are a bit larger, giving you the best bang for your buck. These wines will generally run for about 10 or 15 dollars, and will last a little bit longer for the price. This is a great way to maximize your monetary value of wine if you drink often.
When buying wine for dinner, take into consideration the food you will be serving. As a general rule, red wines pair well with beef based dishes, while white wines work well with seafood and vegetarian dishes. If you are not sure about which wine to pair with your meal, ask at your local wine store to receive a little help.
Ask questions and start discussions about wine amongst your friends. You will be surprised by how many things your friends know about wine that you were not aware of. This can help you to not only build your information base with wine but to try new brands and types of wine as well.
If you want to visit a winery, you should know that the wine you buy and bring home will not taste like the wine you tried at the winery. The wine offered to visitors is often never put into bottles and the wine you buy will change during your trip home.
White wines should be drunk within the first couple of years they are out. Chardonnay is an exception to this rule. The difference is due to the fact that Chardonnay is aged in oak barrels, unlike other white wines. The opposite may hold true for darker wines and different varieties.
Avoid building a collection of wines that you know that you already enjoy. Even though you may have an urge to stock up, people’s wine tastes are always changing. So although you might like something in particular at the moment, there is a good chance your tastes will change very quickly. In the end, you’ll end up with tons of wine that you’ll never drink, which is simply a waste of money and space.
Vintage is not when the wine was created, but rather the year that the grapes were harvested. Thus, a 2010 vintage contains grapes harvested in that year. After being harvested, the grapes would be allowed to ferment until being bottled and sold. It will take a few years for the wine to actually appear on the shelf.
Take a good look at your wine before you taste it. You can tell a lot about a wine by its appearance. If you practice this, you will soon learn a lot from a wine by its color. Look at the wine from many angles so that you can see all of the colors it has to offer.
If you are trying a lot of wines trying to decide which ones are the best for you, make sure to write down all of the ones you like and don’t like. There are online services that help you find similar wines to ones you like, so you can use them to find more wines. You can also use these sites to avoid wines that are similar to the ones you didn’t care for.
Look for bottles of wine that have a screwcap rather than a cork. Since cork has imperfections in it, it may affect the taste of the wine. While this doesn’t happen often, it is a possibility. Screwcaps are becoming more popular and are less likely to affect the wine in any way.
As you’ve just learned, there are so many factors that can help ensure the wondrous taste of your next bottle of wine. These are the tips that you should keep in mind when choosing, tasting or serving your next bottle. If you apply all you’ve learned, you will ensure your success in serving the best wine.
