Added: 11/25/2005 |
Learn how to buy wine knowledgeablyMost of people can identify the following situation: you come to a restaurant and trying to buy some wine for dinner, you are baffled by the variety of different types of wine you find in the menu. The same can happen in a supermarket or a wine store, where you are looking for a nice bottle of wine for a party. You suddenly realise that you lack the necessary knowledge to make the right choice and buy wine that would satisfy your palate.
The idea that wines are divided merely into reds and whites is not true to fact. Actually, within each of these types wines are quite different and it is this difference that should be one of the criteria of your choice.
The first thing you should pay attention to buying wine in a shop is not its price; however, it may seem surprising, but it is its label. There you can read information about a producer, a region, where the grape has been grown and its sort. This is enough to gain a general idea of the wine, since some of its features, like delicateness or complexity, are common for particular regions.
Another thing, which you can learn from the label, is the year of the harvest. It should be there unless the bottle contains a mixture of wine, made of different years' harvests. It is important, since the weather can greatly influence the wine quality.
Most of wines of all types produced are ordinary and young, made to drink immediately. Nevertheless, wines can be aged from ten up to one hundred years. While aging, they modify significantly, changing the color and obtaining more complex. For instance, fresh, citrusy white wines gain a honeyed character and red wines with a fruit taste can get a savoury character.
The prices of wines may range from a few dollars to thousands of dollars. Nonetheless, it is not necessary to spend an enormous sum of money to buy wine. If you know what wines go to different food, it may compensate for anything else. There are generalized rules, worked out by the experts. White wines are said to go well with seafood, turkey, chicken, Chinese food and pork. Red wines are recommended for red meats, roasts and filets, lamb, veal, duck, pastas and sausages.
However, there may be exceptions. Some white wines are perfect for red meat, whereas some types of red whine may go well with seafood. Hence, if the given guidelines do not satisfy you, you can experiment with wine and food combinations and rely on your experience in the future.
It is well-known that wines can have a good effect on people's health. This criterion may also help you buy wine. White dry wines (less than twelve percent alcohol strength) are recommended for those, who suffer from a metabolic disease, stomach diseases and anemia. Pink wines are helpful to fight liver diseases, colitis, a high blood-pressure and heart diseases. Red wines (less than twelve percent alcohol strength) are indicated for people, suffering from gastrointestinal disturbances and overweight. Red wines, aged more than three years (more than twelve percent alcohol strength), are recommended for people, ill with anemia.
A good idea is to make a wine collection at home so that you may not buy wine every time you want to have it for dinner or to give it to somebody as a present. Nevertheless, before that, ensure that you like the wines you are going to buy. Remember, it is better to buy not more than five bottles of wine of the same style, since after a while you may become bored with the same taste.
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