Food And Wine Pairing
Overview of Core Food and Wine Pairing Principles Weve all heard the old pairing rule of red wine with red meat, white wine with fish and white meat. If you do it right, pairing wine and food is WAY more fun and flexible than that! And the real rules are neither hard to pull off, nor hard-and-fast.
Its the Prep not the Protein Oysters with Cabernet Sauvignon? I went for broke with this but not really: I have such conviction around the notion that the center of the plate protein matters far less than the sauce, prep method or side dish that speaks loudest from the plate. So check out my willing wine students
One Dish, Six Grapes Can you really pair every one of the Big Six Grapes with steak? Yes, and Ill prove it. You will SO want to replicate this pairing experiment on your own, and its super-easy to do.
Most Of The Wines Sold On The Market Are Meant To Be Enjoyed Immediately
It may sound shocking, but its true: about 90% of the wines sold each day are produced not to be cellared and aged but to be enjoyed within 18 months of production. And while young wines typically have more astringent tannins, simply aerating or decanting your wine can help to soften or mellow these and help enhance other aromas and flavors that may have been suppressed in the bottle.
No need to overthink whether or not you should save that bottle of Riesling until your 10th anniversary you should probably just go ahead and drink it. This includes most of your most commercially popular wines. Order, drink up, and restock!
Get Started Learning About Wine
- 9 Profiles of Wine & 13 Shades of Color
- Techniques Professionals Use
- 80+ Aromas and Flavors
Includes: 18″ x 24″ Print, documentation, and satisfaction guarantee.
Explore the framework of modern wine service and tasting techniques on this illuminating poster print. This guide relates common themes in a simple modern design such as wine calories, alcohol level, wine color, aroma and decoding a wine label.
This poster works well framed in a position where you can look at it closely perhaps in your kitchen, office or next to your growing wine collection.
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How To Describe The Taste Of Wine
So, to recap: red wine is red because it was fermented with the skins, making it more tannic. White wine has less tannin, and is more acidic. Dessert wines have higher alcohol content and are usually sweeter, and sparkling wine has bubbles.
Easy, right? Of course not. Stopping at red vs. white wines would be like ending a discussion on vehicles at cars vs. trucks. If were going to peg the kind of wine that you enjoy drinking, were going to have to get a bit more specific. Yes, that means were going to have to talk about how a wine tastes.
This is where wine drinkers lose most of us. There is perhaps nothing more subjective about humanity than taste, and trying to find common ground when talking about wine seems ill-fated from the start. But in spite of the glut of snobby descriptors for wine that youll stumble across, there are a few terms that mean pretty much the same thing to everyone.
Journey Around The World Through Your Glass
Wine gives you the ability to travel around the world from the comfort of your own home. Each wine expresses itself differently depending on its terroirthe climate, soil, terrain and tradition where its made. Where a grape is grown is just as important as the person growing the grapes and making the final product. If you discover more about what it takes to go from grape to glass, you can also learn the history, legacy and traditions of people you may never meet.
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How To Store Wine
Here are a few guidelines for storing wine at home:
- Store unopened bottles of wine in a cool, dark place with mid-range levels of humidity .
- Ideally, wine should be stored at 55°F, and should stay in a temperature-stable area.
- While 55°F is considered the perfect temperature, anywhere from about 45-60°F is okay for long-term storage.
- Store wines horizontally rather than standing up, especially if they have corks .
- After opening a bottle, re-cork or use a rubber stopper to close off the bottle, and re-store for 3-5 days.
- If youre going to store a lot of wine, or store for a long time, consider getting a wine fridge for the best storage temperature and humidity. A regular fridge is usually too cold for long-term wine storage.
- Most wines do not benefit from aging . Anything you buy at the store is ready to drink, although you can store it for years .
Now that youve made it through this Wine 101 guide, you can graduate from Wine Newbie and start enjoying it on a whole new level. Or, at least, youll finally be able to talk about wine confidently. Enjoy!
How To Make Wine What Is Wine
The definition of wine is simple: an alcoholic beverage made with the fermented juice of grapes. Wine was originally made with grapes and the grape is the single best fruit to make wine with due to its characteristics. However, you can make wine with several types of fruits including apples, peaches, various berries, plums, and even tomatoes. Wine is different from beer in that wine is made from fruit and beer is made from grains.
Wine grapes are different than standard table grapes that are made for eating. Wine grapes are seeded and they are smaller and sweeter than their counterparts. Most wine grapes come from a single specious of grape called Vitis vinifera. This strain of grape has been cultivated and grafted with many other types of grapes to create a variety of grapes we use to make wine today.
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How To Learn About Wine + Where To Begin
You love wine. Maybe you have been drinking it for years and want to branch out and learn more about it. Maybe you want to become a better wine buyer or learn how to read wine lists at restaurants. Maybe you work in a restaurant and want to better your beverage skills and possibly learn how to become a Sommelier . Maybe you are in the beverage industry and contemplating taking an exam to help you excel in your department. Whatever it is, I bet you are wondering
Where to begin?
That is one question a lot of people ask when they are interested in learning about wine. Theres a lot of wine information out there and starting the wine journey can be completely overwhelming! What resources do you need once you decide you are all in? What do you need to start reading? How are you supposed to organize the information you learn?
Start here
The first decision involves deciding to do COURSEWORK, EXPERIENCE, or BOTH? Are you interested in a wine-related career, or is this just a hobby? If you arent involved or interested in a wine-related career and are just doing this as a hobby, youll probably be okay just doing coursework. I know plenty of people that have jobs outside of wine and study it for pure enjoyment. Nothing replaces experience, however. If you want a wine-related career, you MUST have experience and should be doing coursework along with this!
Now that you have made those big decisions, here are
6 STEPS TO STUDYING WINE
1. Seek out an exam to study for
How To Learn About Wine: 5 Simple Steps You Can Take To Increase Your Wine Knowledge
Im so glad youre here!
Nothing makes me happier than helping people discover their love of wine. I know it can seem intimidating at first, but once you get started, youll be on a roll.
People ask me all the time, How did you start learning about wine? Well, after falling in love with wine in Italy, I decided I wanted to pursue the industry as more than just a side hobby.
I started by drinking and trying to learn on my own, but once I got more serious about it, I decided to go down the more structured path and enroll in some wine classes.
I know the wine world can seem overwhelming – theres almost too much to learn! But depending on how far you want to go, there are plenty of options for you to embark your wine journey.
Whether you want to work in wine, or just gather some fun facts before your next date, below are some tips to help you get started.
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Taste As Much As Possible
Most sommeliers agree that tasting as much as possible is the best way to learn about wine. Ronald Buyukliev, lead sommelier at Estiatorio Milos at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, uses a two-step approach. First, you have to read. Once you have down, you have a solid theoretical background and can go to step two, which is taste. Buyukliev suggests familiarizing yourself with the classic style of the region first to best understand the typicity of a classic regional bottle. For instance, if you’re curious about Tuscan wine, start by trying a Chianti Classico rather than a red from a more obscure part of the region.”Katherine Dandridge, sommelier at Quill, recommends following tasting up with doing something related to the region. Reading about the history or eating regional food helps to enhance my overall enjoyment of the wine by setting the scene, she says.
What Are The Four Key Wine Descriptors
Sweetness. Needs no explanation. The opposite of sweet is dry. A wine can also be medium-dry or off-dry .
Acidity. We already talked about this. Acidity is a big deal for white wines, and it makes them refreshing and crisp . Lower acidity makes a wine taste fat.
Tannin. Another one weve already covered. Its all about the tannins for red wine. High tannin wines are astringent, maybe even bitter and inky. Lower tannin wines are smooth and soft, and depending on your tastes, more drinkable.
Body. This refers to the perceived weight and viscosity of the wine. A full-bodied wine feels thick, coating the sides of the glass as you swirl. A light-bodied wine is almost like water. A medium-bodied wine is in-between.
The best way to wrap your taste buds around the four primary wine descriptors is to make yourself a strong cup of tea. Sip it black, without anything added. Thats what something very tannic will taste like . Now, add a squeeze of lemon juice and taste it. Thats acidity joining the party. Combined with the tannic taste, it should taste astringent. Now, stir in some sugar for some sweetness. This mellows everything out to make it taste soft.
There’s a fifth thing to be aware of when describing wineflavor. Unlike the four key descriptors, flavor encompasses every descriptor under the sun and is far more subjective.
Hot tip: Pair oaky wines with salty food. Salt cuts the bitterness of oak in much the same way that salt makes shots of tequila go down smoother.
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Want To Learn About Wine Here Are 5 Free Educational Resources To Use From Home
Young man working from home on laptop
getty
There used to be a time when wine education had a strictly unapproachable tone. For many people, this seems to be true even today, but virtual avenues are increasing access to resources and educators from around the globe. Here are five free courses and programs available right now so you can be a wine pro by summer!
The Wine And Spirits Education Trust
The WSETs globally-recognised qualifications are generally seen as the formal training one needs when pursuing a career in wine, but it has also seen a rise in students beyond the wine world who are keen to improve their knowledge.
Courses are run online and in-person, both directly and via affiliated institutions, although check with your local provider about the latest news regarding the coronavirus situation.
The WSET Online classroom teaches in English, but affiliated course providers can deliver courses in local languages through online conferencing platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams.
The WSET School London is now offering a blended learning programme for its students, giving the option to continue their studies online through digital classes, webinars and live Q& A sessions. Online exams have now been launched for Level 1 and 2 Awards.
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What Does A Winemaker Do
All joking aside, one of the things that I love about being a winemaker is the ability to learn a little bit about a lot of different subjects. At its core, a winemaker is a person who takes grapes and turns them into wine. However, due to the nearly limitless number of options a winemaker has to choose from, a winemaking career can differ from person to person widely.
Winemakers are in charge of the decisions of when to pick the grapes, what yeasts to use, what style of wine will be made, how that wine will be aged, for how long it will be aged, and any blending decisions which may need to be made to perfect the final wine. Some winemakers may only be focused on preparing wines for bottling while others may be in charge of taking care of bulk wine to sell to external customers who will then bottle it on their own.
Many winemakers oversee the entire winemaking process from grapes to bottle. Depending on the size of the winery a winemakers job can vary widely. At a small winery they can be the person actually pulling hoses and getting dirty whereas at a large winery there may be a team of winemakers who are issuing direction to a large group of cellar workers.
The demands of winemaking also depends on the price point of the wine being made. Winemakers making luxury level wines have much more responsibilities for public relations and marketing than winemakers making more modest everyday wines.
Invest In Some Wine Books
There are a ton of great ones out there. Try Wine Folly, The World Atlas of Wine, Cork Dork, and The Wine Biblejust to get you started!
Studying wine books seems dense, but if you incorporate some wine tasting along with your studies, I promise you wont be bored!
When I try a new grape, I like to grab my Wine Folly book and head to the section on that particular grape. That way, I can taste along as I read, and this helps me remember the wine much better by involving allll the senses!
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Basics Of Wine: 5 Tips For How To Learn About Wine
The wine industry is a world of its ownwith its own language, culture, and intricate practices. Understanding and appreciating the art and skill it takes to create world-class wines enhances our enjoyment of it. If you want to know how to learn basic wine knowledge, the truth is that learning is also the best way for you to enhance your social experiences, gain an improved sense of taste, and increase your confidence when purchasing quality wine. Although understanding wine may seem complicated, learning basic wine knowledge isnt so hard when you take the right steps.
The wine experts at Theorem Vineyards have shared five tips so you can know the best way to learn about wine.
What Is The Best Way For A Beginner To Learn The Basics About Wine
People sometimes forget that even the biggest wine expert once was a beginner! Nobody is born with the full knowledge of wine . Gaining understanding requires study and learning.
Of course, youre not going to expend a lot of energy studying something unless youre really interested in it. Not for everyone are the arcane intricacies of Major League Baseball pitching averages, or the works of Shakespeareor wine, for that matter. But some people do get bitten by the wine bug , and for those of us who realize one day that we want to learn more about this wonderful beverage, there are many ways to do it.
For me, reading wine books was my introduction to the world of wine. There was no Internet back when the bug bit me, but there were plenty of good books and there still are today. Too many to recommend any particular ones, but my advice would be to go down to a good bookstore and sort through the wine aisle. Books have a way of speaking to you. You look at the covers, front and back, scan through the pages, and if its the right book for you, youll know it.
There also is a tremendous array of wine magazines these days. Some of the better ones include Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits. All offer a comparable format: tasting notes and reviews, articles, opinion pieces, news. Magazines are a good way to keep up with whats happening now.
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How Is Wine Made
This wouldnt be our guide on how to make wine without talking about how wine is made. The most basic explanation of how wine made is really simple. You take fruit juice and ferment it by adding yeast. In fact, you dont really even need to add yeast to grapes to create wine. In the old days, they would simply crush the grapes and let them sit. Natural yeast will start the process of fermentation. Today we use specialized wine making yeast that will ensure you get a quality result.
Yeast is really the most important element in turning fruit juice into wine. Yeast will consume the sugars within the juice and turn them into alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide gas escapes the wine while the alcohol stays creating a delicious elixir from the gods. Yeast colonies will grow in the wine while it is fermenting. Eventually, there will not be enough sugar to feed the entire colony and some of the yeast will die off. The alcohol level rises while the yeast consumes the sugar. This rising level of alcohol also kills off the yeast as they can not survive in higher levels of alcohol. Eventually, all of your yeast will die off and you will be left with wine.
