How-to Have a Wine TastingOne can’t just blindly grab a bottle of this and a bottle of that, and toss a hunk of cheddar on a plate and call it a wine tasting. No, When having a wine tasting, several things are law. You don’t even have to know anything about what you’re doing to get it right, all you have to be  wiling to do is to ask questions and go to a reputable business for advice. If you don’t want to take that kind of time, or leave the creativity all to yourself, then I’ve got a list of suggestions for you.Sparkling Wines: are gentle wines, and even come in some lighter versions known as frizzante or pétillant, or simply semi-sparkling wines. Ideally you should chill sparkling wines overnight. Cheese: Sparkling wines go wonderfully with light, mild, buttery, gentle cheeses such as triple cream. Young Wines: are crisp, and dry. An almost refreshing type of white wine. Serve slightly chilled, 2-4 hours.Cheese:Chevre, or soft, young goat cheese.Chardonnay: Chardonnays are considered white wine, and should be served slightly chilled, 2-4 hours. Cheese: Brie, Camembert.Full Cabernet’s: are wines who generally are full-flavored, and have a smooth finish. With a stronger flavor than Merlots.Cheese: Brie, Camembert.Pinot Noir, Cotes du Rhone, and Medium-bodied Reds: are wines that tends to be of light to medium body and have an aroma of dark fruits.Cheese: Gruyere, Parmesan, RomanoSweet Desert Wines: are typically sweet and best served with desert. Cheese: Blue cheese or Gorgonzola.Make sure not to cluster each grouping of wine together. Try to give your guests a starting point from sweetest to boldest wine. Give each group plenty of space so your guests don’t get confussed as to what goes with what. Make sure to have a bucket on hand to dump unwanted wine into.When serving these wines its important to have palate cleansers near each separate grouping of wine. For example, crackers, bread and water.Most of all, don’t forget to have plenty of plates, napkins, bottle openers, and cheese knives on hand so you too as the host can enjoy your party.

Choosing the Right Wine for Your MealI use to work in a liquor store and you wouldn’t believe the obscene amount of people who would ask me “Sarah, I am making a dinner for such & such and I need a wine to go with my food!” or “I really need your help, what kind of wine goes with such & such food?” or “I have a date and I  don’t know what type of wine to order on the menu!” I am well aware that taste is subjective, however; I’ve tasted many wines to understand, if you balance the wine with the food (which, generally, you can achieve by weight content), you raise the odds dramatically, that you will succeed in choosing the right wine to match your food. Although tannic and acidity play a huge role, when choosing a wine, as well as, sugar, bitter, and sour level, you don’t want a wine that overpowers your meal. When it comes to dinner and eating a salad, along with bread, and then a main course that consists of a steak, you are best to go with chardonnays, young red Cabernets, zinfandels, pinot noir, cotes-du-rhone, burgundy, pinot grigio, st. emilion, or barbera. These wines go best with meat based foods such as steak, lamb, and roast beef. Sometimes a dry champagne or a dry Riesling will work, as well. If you are eating chicken, fish, or any type of seafood, it is best to go with any type of chardonnay, muscadet, white bordeaux, or a chenin blanc. Sweet foods are best paired with wines that possess a similar level of sweetness. The key is balancing your wine with your food. If the wine balances its sugar content, with it’s natural acidity content, you’ll find a match. I believe the best wines to be German Rieslings, vouvrays, or any type of flavored zinfandel. Depending on the weight of food, it’s best to match the wine with your food. Valpolicellas, Beaujolais, dolcettos, are best if you are eating something light to medium, whereas; chianti classics, merlots, zinfandels, or any type of rhone are more towards your medium to heavy wines. Sauternes could work as well, if you are into rich wines and flavored merlots, if you want something that is not as rich, but still tasty. Sangrias also work great, if you are into the wine/cocktail combination.

A Short Lesson on Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Grigio, White Zinfandel, and Sauvignon BlancI’ve researched Associated Content and have found that many individuals write articles about a specific Chardonnay or a specific Pinot Grigio, and never have really spoken of the grape itself except maybe briefly. Whether they did not find this important or this may not have been the  essence of their story I think it is something everyone should know more about. If you know more about the grape then you will know more about the wine. Its almost as if this article is a prequel to all other mentioning various wines. Before we get started you must realize I do not want to overload your brain with information on substantial amounts of grapes. However, I will list 5 of the most common grapes that produce the most popular white wines so that these will be easy to remember. If you read my first article about How To Sound Like A Wine Connoisseur I gave you some basic terms to understand when reading the back of a wine bottle to get a better understanding of all the fancy words and then integrate them into conversation. Here I am going to do the same except we are going to get a little more in depth about each categorized wine and grape. It will not only help you sound like a Connoisseur, but you can pass it on to your friends that either enjoy or want to enjoy the fascination of wine.Chardonnay: The most popular grape grown in the United States is Chardonnay which is a green skinned grape. You will find most Chardonnay wines to have an aroma of tropical fruits, apples or pears, and even occasionally lemons. To find out how each Chardonnay differentiates there are three main terms that are used when describing Chardonnay; Crisp, Desserts, Fruit Driven, and Rich and Complex.Crisp: If you are not a fan of oaky flavors then Crisp is the way to go. Although the driest of Chardonnays there are only minimal hints of oak if any at all. These particular grapes are produced in cooler climates to give off a more citrus flavor than others.

Pairing Up Your Wine with Your MealRely on your instincts when matching up wine with your food. If you pick a wine that you would drink all by itself, you’ll pick a winner. The rule of thumb is to pick a good wine, regardless of what you’re eating. That way, if your meal is less-than-great, you still have a good wine. White wines used to all be fruity and light. Red wines, heavy. Today, though, the typically light chardonnays can be surprisingly fuller-bodied than even some cabernets.  Red wines differ from whites in two main ways. Many red wines have tannins while whites rarely do. Both wines can have spicy, earthy, floral, or buttery qualities. Apple, citrus, and pear flavors seldom are found in reds. Reds instead are likely to have cherry, red grape, or currant flavors. If you focus more on the wine’s size and weight, the lightest at one end and fuller-bodied on the other, you will do better when pairing up your wine with what’s for dinner. Generally, choose a light wine to compliment a light meal and reversely, a heavier wine with a heavier meal.Heartier meals call for heartier wine. Lighter food gives you more leeway. Lighter wine will balance everything out nicely, but when eating hearty food, the light wine will seem bland. Contrary to popular belief, anything tastes fine after a sip of a heavyweight wine, so with this type, it is safe to say you will be pleased.Feel free to experiment and make your own matches. Obviously what one person likes is not true for the next person. Start with traditional choices and then expand your horizons a little by trying other matches. For example, if you usually pair Burgundy or Pinot Noir with your roast beef, try Barbera instead. All three of these wines compliment roast beef well because of their similar texture and richness.Some wine drinkers think that off-dry wine is too sweet and ruins a good meal. How many of us drink lemonade, soda, or sweetened iced tea with our dinner? Off-dry wine is no different. As long as there is an adequate balance between sugar and natural acidity, the match can work. A sweet dessert wine, Sauternes, works because of its richness.