|  

What to Drink Your Wine in and How Not to Drink Wine

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

One of the most comical things that I have heard in the world of wine is “you like what you like” as well as the one “enjoy it as you please,” or something akin to that.  That’s almost the same as a woman saying, “fine, whatever.”  Smart guys know that there is a problem right there.

Like I have said before, there are a ton of people in the world of wine at various levels.  Some of them are tasked with selling you crap before they finally get to sell better wine.  In many cases, you know if you have something worth drinking if it’s what they drink themselves.

Now, you know that I rail against the people who tend to be nothing more than French wine whores who parrot what they have read in such and such a book or magazine and have no great experience in regards to breadth and depth as far as wine is concerned.  If you have been drinking wine for thirty years and it’s only been about twenty producers, you still have as much true knowledge as someone who has been drinking from three hundred [good] producers for two years.

Let me start with how not to drink wine, because I see some major faux pas in this area so many times, especially with some “urban” establishments.  The first thing is that you don’t drink wine with a straw, no matter what.  This is not soda, no a damned sippy cup.  It’s wine.  Grow up.  The second thing is that you don’t put ice cubes in your wine; if it’s not cold enough, get a chiller, and you’d be surprised how quickly they can drop the temperature of bottles and the contents within.  The third thing is that you don’t drink [good] wine out of plastic cups.  This is not a keg party and it’s also not some alcohol-laden punch that was concocted by some people with the idea to get you twisted.

Now, the last piece was in regards to not drinking wine out of a cup, but out of a glass.  Glassware can be a very important part of the wine experience, not just in the presentation of something good, but also in enhancing the experience of taste.  What many people don’t know Is that you actually taste through your nose, and depending upon the shape of the glass and the height to which you pour the wine, it can allow you to better catch the aroma and ultimately enrich the tasting experience.  It’s kind of somewhat like the experiment you did in physics with the tuning fork, the glass cylinder and a little bit of water.  You have an air column and are able to effect what is called the resonant frequency, which amplifies and resonates (continues/echoes) the sound produced by the tuning fork.  However, in this case you are working with not necessarily a gas, but a scent, and if you could see it move through the air, sometimes the glass can elicit the effect of not necessarily concentrating it, but funneling it up and out better.

Bolder red wines benefit from bigger glasses while whites and rose/blush wines can deal with a lot less extra space between the top of the wine and the lip/rim of the glass.  Sparkling wines can actually be served in a variety of different shapes of glasses, and there are even wine tumblers.

So you know understand a little more about how the shape of a wine glass can affect the taste and you should also realize that glass imparts nothing else to the taste of a wine, nor takes anything from it, which plastic does.  But now let’s talk about the beauty of a glass.

Like referring to something in French, placing wine in a great looking glass also increases the enjoyment of the tasting experience.  I am this at the men out there, because women will flip over a nice glass.  I am not talking about some glass with some crappy costume jewelry adornments or crystals, but a lovely glass that either is very delicate in design (thin, but strong stem), opulent in character, or gorgeous in physique.  I could take a so-so wine and jazz it up with the right glass, just as I could take a phenomenal wine and totally throw it under the bus by putting it in some crappy glass that does it not justice in the presentation at all.  This means that you can’t be purchasing some inexpensive crap at Ikea, Walmart or Target [though Target does also sell some better lines of glassware], but you need to at least have you a nice set of glassware.  Maybe two sets would be great.  There is what you entertain great friends with, and what you share with a romantic partner.

That’s it.  No summary.  Read and use.

Ciao

 

Send to friend Bookmark and Share

 

Our Mission: The Black Winer strives to expose African Americans [and others] to wines, without the flair, stuffiness, and airs of elitism and snobbery that you get from sommeliers and high level wine enthusiasts. We believe in finding something that you like the taste of, outside of the basic brands that you have been force-fed over the years through a combination of ethnically targeted advertising, and what people in your family have historically been drinking.

We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please click here to send us an e-mail.

© 2008 Ika, LLC Philadelphia, PA 215-474-1911 | Built & Designed by Zachary Harris

 
Friday, March 29, 2024
4:04:47 AM