Michael Franz's Holiday Wine Tips
Some wine thoughts for getting more pleasure for less money from Wine Review Online's editor Michael Franz. For a vast array of commentary, a daily wine review and other features check out www.winereviewonline.com.
Pay more consistent attention to serving temperature. Most Americans are guilty of serving their whites too cold and their reds too warm, and by developing good serving habits you can make your wine taste a lot better without spending a dime. Wines pulled directly from refrigerators—much less ice buckets—are typically so cold that aromas are suppressed and flavors flattened. Similarly, the old rule of thumb about serving reds at room temperature has led millions of people to mishandle their wine. The rule made sense when coined by some guy in the 18th century, but only because he lived in an English manor house without central heat. Reds lack focus and seem overly alcoholic at 72 degrees, and are much better at 62. So, stick your reds into the fridge for 20 minutes and pull your whites out of if for 20 minutes before cracking into them.
Spend your money on wine, not wine-related stuff. If you've recently fallen in love with wine, your contact information will soon be sold to retailers like IWA or The Wine Enthusiast, and they'll soon be mailing you catalogues filled with all sorts of equipment and paraphernalia. Do not buy this trash. Remember that love is blind, and that your affair with the grape may be clouding your judgment. You do not need a Mouton beach towel. We all adore Dom Perignon, but that is no reason to emblazon it on our neckties.
Buy a couple of decent wine glasses. This may seem in direct opposition to point number two, but it's not. The only piece of equipment that really makes any difference in wine appreciation is a glass. A well-shaped, thin-lipped glass will really enhance your experience of any wine. By contrast, a wine opened with a $2 corkscrew will taste no better if you open it with some huge, expensive contraption.
Buying some good glasses is important, but don't go crazy. You do not need $20 glasses (much less Riedel Sommelier Series ones costing $70). Nor do you need to buy different glasses for five or six different grape varieties. Spiegelau makes lovely glasses that perform very, very well, and you'll find them available on the web for less than $7 per stem when purchased in cases of 6. The Vino Grande series Chardonnay and Cabernet/Zinfandel glasses are supremely versatile, and they look good with one another if you care about appearances for entertaining. For most consumers, anything else is overkill and an inadvisable diversion of funds.
Michael Franz is the editor of Wine Review Online
