Don’t Drink Wine!

Don’t Drink Wine, Taste It

You think I am crazy when I title a post don’t drink wine. I am far from it. Wine is meant to be tasted. What’s the difference? Everything is. Most Americans drink wine. Many gulp it down. Do that with beer or cheap wine. Many Americans drink wine to get drunk. And, that is fine. However, most Europeans taste their wine on their way to getting drunk. First, they look at it to see the color. Second, they smell the aroma after swirling the glass. Then, they take a small sip to taste and swirl it in their mouth. Last, they swallow and enjoy the aftertaste. It is all about experiencing the wine.

Taste Wine Like A Badass

Here is a new one for most people including those in the trade. This is a wine tasting technique called Retrograde Breathing. I see people, mostly women, take a sip as if they are trying poison. LOL. That is not nearly enough to taste wine. You need to coat your entire tongue generously. Also, I see people take huge gulps as if the wine is not working quickly enough. LOL. Here is the technique. You take a medium size sip of wine. Then, you swirl that sip in your mouth for about 5 seconds and slowly swallow. Here is the tricky part. Immediately breath in your mouth and NOT your nose. Close your mouth and slowly exhale through your nose. This aerates your nasal passages with the aromas of the wine and intensifies the tasting experience. It is easy to grasp after a few tries. The theory is aromas are sensed by your nose, not your mouth. And, your mouth can only taste 5 things and only 3 in wine!

Wine Glass Types

One of the most important things is the wine glass. If you don’t have large ones, then buy some that are at least 12 ounces. Sixteen ounces is optimal. If you can afford high quality ones, I recommend buying Reidel glasses. There are microscopic protrusions in glass, and even more in crystal. These protrusions help aerate the wine when you swirl your glass. This elevates the aromas. Large glasses are better, because you need room in the glass to capture the aromas. Pour no more than a third of the glass with wine. Notice how little wine is in the glasses in the picture below. I recommend the second from the left for reds. And, I like the third from the left for whites. Also, the shape is important. Notice how the openings are about half of the width of the glass. This allows them to capture the aromas.

Don’t Drink Wine Rules Of Thumb

Once you learn to taste wine, you will also learn to appreciate wine. Then, experiment tasting your wines with various foods. It’s the best way to learn which foods go nicely with your wines. Rules of thumb, taste whites before reds. And, taste light bodied wines before heavier wines. However, if you have an expensive top notch wine, drink that first and abandon the rules. Realize that the more drunk you get, the harder it is to taste the wine. It would be a waste to wait until the end to drink the good stuff.

Drink Wine Temperatures

Store white, sparkling and rose wines in the fridge for at least 2 hours or place in an ice water bucket for 30 minutes. Notice I said ice water and not ice. Ice alone takes hours to chill your wine. The goal is about 45 degrees. Reds need a slight chill. Place them in the fridge for about 30 minutes or in an ice water bucket for about 15 minutes The goal is about 65 degrees. Never drink wines at room temperature. Some dessert wines are better chilled or with a slight chill. It depends on the type of dessert wine. Ask me if you are unsure. Text me anytime during waking hours at 609-364-3477. I am in the Eastern Standard Time zone or the New York time zone.

If you would like to see my cheat sheet for wine shopping, please click here. If you would like to learn more about wine, please click here.

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