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[ddpie]

I thought it would be a great idea for us to gather up all of our tips and knowledge about wine and post here. I know a lot of people (myself included) that want to learn more about the subject but are somewhat intimidated.The idea is to have a non-threatening place that people can come to learn terminology, techniques, verbage, anything...about wine! Be sure to include the very basic tips as well as advanced ones so that we are including everyone from the newbie to the wine connoisseur.

So please add your tips or snipets of wine knowledge.....wine class is open!

I'll start by giving a few examples....

~Did you know that during a wine tasting session it's adviseable to begin tasting with the driest wines, working your way down "the list" to the sweet/dessert wines?

~When ordering wine at a restaurant, the wine stewart, waiter or waitress, will oftentimes hand over the cork to the person ordering the wine. It's a common misconception that it is to be "smelled". It will smell like cork of course! The real reason is for the cork to be examined. If there is a solid wine stain on the whole end of the cork it means that the wine has been properly stored in the correct position, on it's side, preventing air into the bottle.

[espressojoe]

I was asking a friend at dinner after wine tasting about the presentation of the cork, and he said there were actually 2 reasons for it. Like DD said, old corks would show the signs of wine transferring up the cork due to air seepage. He stated that with the way corks are made today, you can tell very little from it about that, and seepage is a rare problem. The cork does not show if a bottle is “corked”, as that is due to air getting into the bottle before it’s sealed. The presentation is currently done out of tradition more than anything.

The second reason, he said, was, in France, back before the Revolution, there was an unscrupulous practice of restaurant owners “re-filling” expensive bottles of wine with cheap wine. The corks of that day did not survive being pulled out enough to be reused, and most winemakers added their logo to the cork, so the cork was presented so you knew you were actually getting what you paid for, and not a “re-filled” bottle.

This man knows more about wine than I know about coffee (and that’s saying a lot), so I have no reason to question his history.

Happy drinking!!!
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http://JofussGallery.etsy.com

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[espressojoe]

My favorite winery in Julian sells an apron that has the three rulls of wine tasting:

1. Swirl the glass

2. Smell the bouquet

3. Darn the rules and guzzle the *&$%!
_________________
http://JofussGallery.etsy.com

http://www.bakespace.com/?espressojoe

[ddpie]

Joe, I've actually heard of that before! (about the cork and logo)

[kathyk]

Can I ask a question??

BTW...y'all are making me thirsty and I'm at work. Not a good thing as there is a great boutique wine store around the corner.

Red wines....both my parents, brother and I are all big wine drinkers....and we drink our reds at room temperature...preferably decanted.

However, I will take a bottle over to any number of friends and they will stick it in the fridge to chill.

So my question is...red wines...to chill or not to chill???
_________________
Kathy

http://bakespace.com/?kathyk

[espressojoe]

[ddpie]

Kathy, I don't chill my dry reds but I do chill my sweet or fruity reds. (I know, I'm wierd)

I think I've heard that all reds are better not chilled. Served at room temp or just slightly below room temp. Really, I think it comes down to personal preference.

I will say that airiation to me is the most important. Which reminds me....I really need to purchase a good decanter......

[ddpie]

Joe, we were posting at the same time LOL

okie dokey, according to Joe's chart...I think I'm on the right track LOL

[espressojoe]

Interesting article on using ice cubes in wine here:

http://www.wineintro.com/basics/icecubes.html

My favorite part is:

[ddpie]

I have some little plastic fish and shell shaped cubes I use in the summer

Also, you can pour the wine into a pitcher and place the ice cubes in a plastic bag and float it....works with beer too!