WHINE & Dine : The Nagging Truth of Serving Wine
Today's casual drinker likes wine for two reasons:
1) they enjoy it
and 2) Olivia Pope from Scandal makes it look glorious
Whether your reason is option 1, 2 or BOTH, this guide is for you!
Wine is much more than liquid in a glass. Knowing what to pair it with and how to serve it gives you the drinking experience that it was created for. With advice from industry experts, such as Colin Cowie and the good people at FLEUR OCCASIONS, you can use these guidelines as a quick reference for common red & white wines as well as your wine-hosting needs!
RED WINE
-serve in glasses with a larger "bowl"
-large bowls allow the wine to breathe, enhancing flavor and character
-hold wine glass by the bowl to enforce "breathing"
-1/3 fill = "full" pouring
POPULAR RED WINES | Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir & Shiraz
Cabernet Sauvignon: complex and truity, bordeaux grape origin
Serve with meats or before dinner a variety of cheeses
Merlot: pronounced as "mer-low" -- don't you DARE say "mer-lot" ! lol
Dry, smooth, lighter in color, similar characteristics to cabernet sauvignon
Serve with meat
Pinot Noir: simple, fruity with elements of plums, strawberries, raspberries and cherries
Burgandy grape origin
Do NOT serve with hot or spicy foods, as it will challenge the smoky flavor of pinot noir
Shiraz; peppery with BIG flavor
Shiraz grape origin
Pair with chicken or duck meat dishes
WHITE WINE
-narrow bowls, bigger than flute glasses
-narrow bowl retains win's temperature
-hold glass by the stem to keep your body heat away and support temperature retainment
-1/2 fill = "full" pouring
POPULAR WHITE WINES | Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Riesling
Chardonnay: dark golden, nutty, fruity
Light flavor won't challenge food pairings
Serve with seafood, chicken or pork
Sauvignon Blanc: dry, sharp, grassy flavor
Serve with fresh salad or seafood
Pinot Grigio: dry, crisp flavor
Serve with light seafood dishes
Riesling: sweet, soft
Light, crisp and fruity flavor offsets spicy anf flavorful pairings
Serve with Asian food, chicken, salmon and tuna dishes
'Winery' is an industry full of flavors, and it's way more intricate than the details we've given in this blog. However, with these few guidelines, you're off to a great start to hosting a great event by serving wine appropiately to your guests! Be sure to store your wine bottle horizontally (to keep the cork wet, preventing air from entering the bottle) and cheers to great event planning!
See you next week for our next
WEDDED WEDNESDAY
blog post!