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Color is one of the major distinguishing features
of wine. The main difference between red and
white wine is that the grape juice used to make
red wine contains skins, seeds, and stems. This is
significant because leaving juice to mix together
with the woody bits (known as maceration) caus
es the finished product to contain something we
briefly mentioned earlier — tannins. If the term
“tannin” bugs you because you don’t really under
stand it, just think about a strong cup of tea. That
woody taste is tannin. In wine, it can lend a
wonderful complexity to red varieties.
■ 1W
. The reason you need to be aware of the differ
ences between red and white wine is because of
one of the oldest rules in fine dining: harmonize
your food and drink. If you’re going to be eating
something delicate with subtle tastes, the Rule
states that you should avoid drinking something
with a strong flavor that will overshadow the
food. Conversely, a hearty meal will often be
best complimented by a strong wine with flavor
of its own. But every single current guide to
wine makes a point of saying that the Rule is out
of date and the only hard-and-fast dictate of
wine drinking is to choose something you enjoy.
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Nevertheless, there’s a reason that the Rule
evolved in the first place: it makes sense. If, for
example, you’re trying to pick up on the vague
hints of Caribbean brine that delicately caress
the primo slice of sushi you just ordered,
slurping a bowl of tequila isn’t going to help.
Balancing food with drink may not be required
» anymore, but it’s a good tip to keep in mind. A
specific corollary of the Rule is that white wines
tend to go best with fish and white meats, like
’ chicken and pork; red wines go best with red
meat and red sauces. Another adjunct to the
Rule is that you should begin with lighter wines
and progress to heavier ones throughout the
course of the meal. This policy again reflects the
idea that you should not overburden your
palate: if you start with a strong drink, your
taste buds will be shot and you won’t be able to
enjoy anything that comes after it. That is why
aperitifs are typically light drinks and dessert
liquids, like port, are rich and heavy.
One of the main distinctions - after red and
white - that’s bandied about by wine drinkers is
whether a particular quaff is “sweet” or “dry.”
Though imagining how a fluid can be dry is
something of a logical stretch, just bear in mind
that dry is nothing more than the opposite of
sweet, and we all know what sweet tastes like. A
related factor is the weight of a particular type
of wine, which refers to the amount of alcohol
present in a given sample (see bottle below).
Ortbr raw a 1
Keeping this simple matrix in mind, you l
will be well equipped to tackle any menu 1
you face. If you want to buy time to consid- 1
er what precisely you should choose from 1
the wine list, tell the waiter you will decide 1
on a wine once you have chosen your food. 1
starting out, just stick to those regions. Sure, there
is a wonderful universe of wines from Spain, Chile,
Australia, Germany, and beyond, but were looking
to avoid embarrassment here, not to have you win
ning sommelier (wine steward) competi
tions. Now that you know how to finesse
1 the red - versus - white debate at the table,
I here’s another way to flex. Most fine
I restaurants, and many feeble ones, are
1 either french or Italian. If they’re neither,
I then they’ll probably be American eclec
I tic. So you’ll obviously be on the right
1 track if you order a native wine when
1 eating the food. A quick guide to geo
/ Guides to Sweetness and Weight \
/ As a general rule of thumb, red wines are \
/ heavier and more complex than white wines. '
f White wines are initially more palatable to
novices since they often tend to be sweeter. Here
is a quick guide to the sweetness of wines (and
please note that, for both guides, the listed reds ah
not necessarily of the same sweetness/weight as tl
whites listed below them — these are relative guides
sweetness/weight, within red or white):
White
Riesling
Chenin Blanc
Sauvigncn Blan
Chardonnay
Zinfandel
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Cabernet
driest
lightest
Chianti
Pinot Noir
Merlot
Zinfandel
Cabernet
Pinot Gi
Riesling
Fume Bl
Chardoi
heaviest
Regional Specialties
French Italian
Bordeaux
Burgundy
Sauvignon Blanc
American
Chardonnay
Zinfandel
Chianti (
San Gio\
Age and Quality
The word “vintage” is simply a fancy way of sa
“year.” The reason different vintages prod
different quality wines — despite the fact that
same vintner is using the same winemaking prot
on the same kind of grapes — is that sr
variations across any number of factors (m
notably weather) can affect the entire yield of w
in a given season. So although “old wine” i)
i crude shorthand for “good wine,” you shot
always remember that keeping a cruddy vinta
around for a decade won’t make it any beet
I than a two-year-old hotshot ;:
i nen wait to see wnat your date
orders. Next, simply ask your date
whether he or she prefers red or
white. If there’s no preference
start with the Rule and sug
gest a wine that matches
the overall color of his or
her meal. Then simply
toss out the ringer: “I
think a Riesling might j
go well with your fish, j
though a Fume Blanc g
would also be a good |
choice if you’d like
something a little drier.” |
After your date closes |
his or her mouth and J
expresses a preference, 5
you’re golden. When the
waiter returns, simply
announce your collective
choice: “We would like a
Fume Blanc tonight, can
you recommend one?”
The waiter will direct
your attention to a selec
tion of your chosen wine
on the list — and then all
you have to worry about is
the price.
So we’ve gotten you past
the threshold and into the
land of respectable restaurant
ordering. But as you will no
doubt quickly learn, the uni
verse of wine variables is vast.
Once you have begun to get a
grip on the color scheme,
geography will be the next
lesson. Anyone can make
wine almost anywhere, but a
few places have developed the process
better than others. When we think of
wine, we think first of France, Italy,
and California. So when you are
grapmc specialties is in tne bottle at
left. Keep in mind that we’re
barely scratching the surface
here and that each of those
regions produces myriad
other kinds of wine.
Ultimately, you’re
going to have to be the
one to sit down and
start tasting. Begin
with these basics to
establish your land
marks in the vineyard
universe, and then
feel free to branch
out to more esoteric
wines.
Everything you’ve
just learned is going
to enable you to make
an intelligent wine
choice the next time
you’re at a restaurant.
Of course, if all goes
well on that date, you
may be looking to share
another bottle of vino at
your place. To do that,
you’re going to need to
know how to open a
bottle at home without
stabbing your date with
the corkscrew or drown
ing anyone in the process.
Go to our web site,
www.colleges.com,
to learn how to
properly open a
bottle of wine.