| Food and Wine Smarts
True or false – you must drink a sweet white wine with spicy
South Asian food? Myth or fact – you must always drink red
wine with red meat? Actually, there aren’t right answers to
either of these questions, but the truth is that wine matches well
with food because its diverse flavors and textures can enhance the
complex flavors in the foods we eat in a way we would never think
about. Pair wine with food if flavors and textures either complement
or contrast each other. For example, a heavy Cabernet Sauvignon
red wine might overwhelm the palate with a spicy chicken curry,
so a light and fruity Sauvignon Blanc white wine might be a better
match. However, if you are a red wine fan, you might consider a
lighter and sweeter Sangiovese to complement a chicken curry. To
complement spicy South Asian food at your upcoming wedding or special
event,stick with lighter-bodied wines like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling,
and Rose or Sangiovese. If the wine is full-bodied, its tannin,
acidity, and alcohol content could overwhelm your already heated
mouth!
A Tale of Temperature
Temperature is not only important for grapes to grow and ripen properly
but also for wines to stay flavorful and drinkable for years. The
best temperature for a wine to be stored is usually 55ºF, but
its serving temperature is a different story. Have you ever tasted
a glass of Chardonnay right out of the refrigerator and it tastes
really bitter and acidic, but after it’s been warmed slightly
for an hour at room temperature (60-65ºF), the wine suddenly
tastes sweeter and fruitier? The same phenomenon occurs with red
wine, which tastes different after it has been warmed at room temperature
for a few hours.
Keep every bottle of wine you own away from direct sunlight and
any heat sources and store bottles in a cool, dark place in your
home or in a temperature controlled wine refrigerator or cellar.
Warm white wines for at least fifteen minutes at room temperature
after removing them from the refrigerator to enjoy their full flavor.
Warm red wine opened at room temperature for at least an hour before
serving. In contrast, enjoy sparkling white wines and champagnes
no more than ten to fifteen minutes after removing from the refrigerator.
Open and Pour
You can now buy inexpensive wine accessories at any supermarket
or kitchen store. The first accessory I recommend is a foil cutter
to remove the foil placed tightly over the cork. A cutter is useful
so you do not damage your fingernails. Make sure you have a good
corkscrew wine opener. Today corkscrew openers come in many shapes
and sizes from a standard turn-screw opener to a “rabbit-shaped”
lift-screw one (Target, various prices). Additionally, stores now
sell wine bottle pourers and stoppers (Kegworks, $7.25 each). This
device can be inserted into the wine bottle’s neck, ensures
spill-proof pouring and contains a plastic stopper to prevent spoilage.
Save money and buy a wine accessory set that contains all of these
tools (Brookstone, $60.00 each). Finally, invest in a good wine
rack. Wine racks (Crate and Barrel, various prices) can be found
everywhere, can hold multiple bottles and ensure each wine bottle
is stored on its side for air-proof aging.
Crack out the Glasses
You can’t drink wine without wine glasses. The body of a wine
glass is shaped the way it is to allow wine to “breathe”
as you are drinking it so you can enjoy its full flavor. A traditional
myth is to drink white wine in smaller, narrower glasses and red
wine in larger, balloon-type glasses because it needs more room
to “breathe”. In truth, you can enjoy either wine in
any kind of glass. The larger glasses allow you more room to swirl
the wine around and release more of its flavors and aromas. Enjoy
sparking wine in a thin flute so bubbles have enough room to move
up to the top of the glass and hit your tongue as you take the first
sip.
The correct way to drink from a wine glass is to grip the glass’s
stem and take a sip. If you grip the glass from its body, the warmth
of your hands may cause the wine to warm too quickly. Wine needs
to warm and “breathe” in its own time in order for you
to enjoy its full flavor.
Lucky Charms
During an event, it can often be difficult to keep track of everyone’s
wine glass as we drink, put it down and mingle. Get a set of wine
charms and place a charm around each glass stem so people do not
misplace their glasses. Wine charms can also match the theme of
your event. Try Swanky Nest (set of 6 for $9.99) for several themed
charms for any kind of event.
Even though we drink wine all the time at events
and at home, understanding wine and its complex characteristics
can be intimidating. However, knowing the best ways to pick, serve
and enjoy wine can help you enhance the culinary experience of your
next event for you and your guests. Your next trip to Napa will
never be the same!
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Uncork the magic of wine with the following
facts and tips:
All the Makings of a Good Wine
Did you know
that Chardonnay is not only a type of white wine but also
is a type of grape? Wine is made from different types of grapes
that are grown in the spring, ripened through the summer and
harvested and crushed in the fall. After the crush, the grape
juice is combined with other ingredients, such as water, alcohol,
sugar, and chemicals. The alcohol causes the grape juice to
ferment, and the wines are either stored (oak barrels are
common) or bottled. This entire process ensures that wine
has flavor, can be aged and remains drinkable for several
years.
Grapes of the Globe
The largest geographic
regions for wine production are California, Europe (specifically
France, Italy, Germany, and Spain), Australia and New Zealand,
and Chile. The reason behind this is that the climates in
these areas are not too hot, not too cold and have the right
blend of heat and moisture for grapes to grow healthily.
Do you know what makes a good wine production year? Weather
conditions need to be consistent in the spring (growing),
summer (ripening), and fall (harvesting). You can be assured
that if weather changes from one extreme to another through
the spring and summer or there is too much rain, it is highly
likely that the quality of wine will be lower due to crop
damage. If weather conditions are poor and lead to a smaller
grape crop in a particular year, the price of the wine is
also likely to be higher for that vintage.
Elements of the Sip
You might take a sip of Chardonnay and wonder why and how
wine connoisseurs claim that it tastes like butter or strawberries.
The reason is not that these ingredients are mixed into the
wine but that the acids in these grapes actually suggest
these flavors. As the grapes are grown and ripened, the amounts
of sugars and acids in the grapes change and drive different
flavors, such as fruits, flowers, butter or pepper. These
flavors continue to evolve as the wine ages.
When you drink a red wine, do you ever feel like a dry, thick,
and red residue sticks to your tongue and the back of your
mouth? The reason for this residue is the wine’s tannin
content. Tannin is a chemical that is present in the skins
of grapes and helps wine mature and stay fresh for years.
Additionally, the term “body” is used to describe
a wine. This term usually characterizes the wine’s structure
and heaviness. A light-bodied wine is usually easy to drink,
thinner and not overwhelming to your mouth with a lot of flavor—it
has no significant aftertaste. In contrast, a full-bodied
wine feels thicker to drink and its aftertaste can linger
in your mouth much longer.
Air – the Good and the Bad
Exposure
to air can quickly cause the taste and aroma of a wine to
change through a process called oxidation. When wine is exposed
to air for too long, it can easily spoil. The best protection
from wine spoilage is a cork, which is usually made of wood
and is tightly placed at the top of the neck of the wine bottle.
Once you have opened a bottle of wine, it will usually spoil
in a day or two, so that’s more incentive to drink it
as soon as possible! If you are storing a corked wine bottle,
just remember to lay the bottle on its side. Keeping the cork
wet will ensure it will stick better to the sides of the bottle
and prevent air from escaping. Air also has its benefits,
however. Exposure to air for a short time can allow a wine
to “breathe”; as result, the wine releases different
aromas and flavors. Swirling wine in a large glass or decanting
(a process by which a wine is poured into a large-bodied glass
pitcher to “breathe”) can improve the taste of
wine within minutes!
A Question of Cost
You might wonder why an $80 bottle of wine tastes the same
as a $10 bottle but costs so much more. Reasons include the
type of grape used in the wine, the quality of the grape production
in the year the wine was made, the place where the wine is
produced and sold, the reputation of the winery and how long
the wine has been aged. Currency exchange rates can also impact
the price of a wine grown internationally and sold in the
United States. You can be assured that a bottle of 1997 cabernet
sauvignon from a major California winery will cost more than
a 2004 version of the wine because 1997 was an excellent production
year for the wine industry and the wine is almost ten years
old. However, to you and me, both wines could taste the same.
The Right Choice for You
How can you get a recommendation on a perfect wine for your
next event? Unless your best friend is a sommelier, your best
bet might be to consult the wine industry’s rating system
operated by magazines such as Wine Spectator, Wine Advocate,
and Wine Enthusiast magazines. These magazines rate
each wine on a 100-point scale based on its character, structure,
and flavor. You can be assured that the higher the rating
is, the more expensive the wine will be!
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Eye on Events: Q&A
At a large event such
as a wedding, what if you are placed at a table with very
unfriendly people? Should you sneak away to another table
where there is space?
Table assignments are meant to control the
structure of the event, and hopefully your host will place
you at a table with either friends or guests whose company
the host thinks you will enjoy. If you’re a guest at
a wedding and have been assigned to a specific table but do
not care for the other guests at that table, I believe you
should remain at that table for formal parts of the evening,
such as a seated dinner, and then excuse yourself when dessert
or dancing begins. Try to make conversation or start by introducing
yourself to the people seated beside you during the meal.
If your tablemates are downright rude and obnoxious, sit quietly
until the meal is over and then politely excuse yourself.
My event is an Asian wedding. What would
be the most appropriate way of not inviting relatives? The family
in question is closely related although there is lack of family
bonds.
There is no correct answer to this question, but ask yourself the
following questions. How much interaction do you have with the family?
How far away do they live? What was the reason for the lack of family
bonds? Will not inviting these relatives cause a great deal of “bad
blood”? Will inviting them put you over budget for your event?
If the family lives far away and you have not seen
them or spoken to them for years, then I think it would be fine
not to invite them to the wedding. However, if you feel that not
inviting these guests will cause a great deal of stress and grief,
you might reconsider. Try separating your guest list into batches
(one batch for guests you definitely want to invite and another
for those you are not sure to invite). You may end up inviting guests
from the second batch if guests from the first are unable to attend.
Another tip is to host a second, more informal event, such as a
reception at home, a cocktail party or an engagement party. Invite
your closer family members and friends to the actual wedding, but
extend an invitation to the relatives you are not close to for the
smaller event.
Meera Jegathesan works as a sales manager and event
planner for a major hotel company in the San Francisco Bay Area.
She always thinks outside the box and her next big idea is just
around the corner.
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