Fed up of blankly
staring at wine lists? Don't know your Sauvignon from your Sangiovese?
Between trying to
remember 'that one you had last time that you really liked' (not to mention
that one that you really didn't), and not wanting to reveal your utter confusion
over the different varieties of grape, region or age on offer, it's little
wonder so many of us just give up trying to choose a wine and opt either for
the house or a fail-safe
favourite. Jane Parkinson,
resident wine expert on BBC1's Saturday Kitchen, tells us how to get the most
from your merlot, impress at the dinner table and sound like a sommelier.
Here's some advice:
Hold a wine glass by
its stem. It prevents the wine
from warming up too quickly by the heat of your hands.
Know your regions from
your grapes. Chablis is chardonnay; Sancerre is sauvignon
blanc; Soave is garganega; Burgundy (red) is pinot noir; Rioja is tempranillo;
Bordeaux (red) is cabernet sauvignon and merlot; Chianti is sangiovese.
Be brave about
chilling red wine. Serving wine at room temperature was advice
given pre-central heating, which means today's reds are generally served too
warm.
Get to know the on-trend wine regions. These include Swartland in South Africa, the Etna region of
Sicily, the Douro Valley in Portugal and, for sparkling wine, England.
An appetite-whetting
Sherry is a great alternative to fizz as an aperitif. Fino and manzanilla are the two sherry styles that are zesty,
fresh and always bone dry.
Avoid heavily tannic
(chewy) red wine with spicy food because they clash. Instead choose wines that are unoaked and/or made with a
low-tannin grape, like barbera from Italy.
If in doubt about what
to order off a wine list, go for a versatile food-matching grape. Try pinot noir for red, sauvignon blanc for a lighter white or
chardonnay for a richer white.
Screw caps are less
romantic than corks, but they're not inferior or solely for cheaper wines. In fact, they're perfect for aromatic and
vibrant wines, white or red
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