How To Drink Wine For The First Time

What About Those Wine Hangovers

Unlike being wine drunk, wine hangovers may actually be a thing.

Wine has a reputation for producing particularly nasty hangovers. Aside from the other culprits that contribute to intense hangovers, like drinking too much, drinking on an empty stomach, and not staying hydrated, the congeners in wine may also have something to do with it.

Congeners are chemical byproducts of the fermentation process that give wine and other alcoholic drinks their flavor. Theyre found in higher concentrations in darker drinks, including red wine.

Congeners are associated with more severe hangovers, though experts still arent exactly sure why.

One theory is that the body has to break down congeners while also breaking down ethanol, causing the alcohol and its byproducts to linger in the body longer.

Alcohol and congeners both also increase inflammation in the body, which contributes to malaise the icky feeling you get when youre tired and just dont feel well.

If you want to avoid a wine hangover, stick to clear drinks like vodka, which contain almost no congeners. If youd rather not break up with wine, swapping red for white wine can help, since white wine has lower concentrations of these chemicals.

Along with cutting back on congeners, these tips can also help you avoid a hangover:

The Ultimate Beginners Guide To Wine

This page offers numerous valuable materials that will fill out your wine knowledge, whether you’re just getting started with wine or work in the wine industry. Let’s get this party started!

Wine is an alcoholic beverage that is made from fermented grape juice. The type of grape, vintage and winemaking process defines the taste experience. However, drinking wine is more than simply consuming an alcoholic beverage it is an enjoyable experience. Our wine guide aims at enhancing your experience by helping you understand the basics of wine, terms that help you understand various wine styles and how to taste them.

Level 3 Professional Wine Tasting

So, full of hope, I registered for WSET Level 3. I chose the online class because I have a full time job. With this course tasting starts to be important. The recommended tasting wine list was longer and surprise, surprise: there was a blind tasting in the exam. Ouch!

WSET organised a one-day tasting technique class at the beginning of the course, but I did not find it mind-blowingly useful. You have no theoretical knowledge from the course at that point and its a struggle not only with calibration is my full bodied the same as yours or WSETs, for example. Worse you have almost no frame of reference or understanding of the concepts described. This is an important class so if you are taking it, I would recommend preparing for it very carefully.

Don’t Miss: Red Wine Out Of Shirt

How To Drink Red Wine For The First Time

Take a look at the bottle label for instructions on how to drink red wine. Do not begin pouring the wine right away instead, read the label on the bottle to learn about the wines origins and age. Choose the appropriate glassware for the occasion. Pour and swirl the mixture now. Take a whiff of the wine glass. Take a sip of wine.

• Is It Good To Drink Water With Wine?

Best Bold Red: 2018 The Fableist Zinfandel

Courtesy of Wine.com

Region: California | ABV: 14.7% | Tasting Notes: Plum, Blackberry Jam, Cinnamon, Vanilla

Zinfandel is one of the best red varieties for fans of bold wines with serious flavor. Bursting with jammy purple fruit, this Californian specialty is perfect for those who believe that bigger is better, thanks to its typically robust body, high alcohol, and intense concentration. Smooth tannins keep zinfandel approachable, especially in this juicy Paso Robles rendition from The Fableist.

American oak gives a boost of spice-tinged vanilla and cocoa to the opulent plum and blackberry fruit in this plush, opulent, yet well-balanced red. It goes down extra-easy when paired with hearty meat-based dishes, but skip the spicepiquant foods will add unpleasant heat to high-alcohol wines.

Also Check: Is Total Wine Pet Friendly

How To Experience Wine

Each white and red wine has its signature taste, and to figure out what distinguishes one brand from another, it is essential to know how exactly to taste wine. Tasting wine is about much more than merely sipping it and judging it based on first impressions. Everything from the color of the wine, the design of the bottle, our mood and disposition, and to the process of production, all influence the way we taste wine.

While the color and aroma of wine are good indicators of what exactly it is made of, there are specific ways of tasting a wine that enables you to experience it fully. Swirl your red and white wine a few times before taking a swig to aerate the drink. Notice if some drops stay on the side of the glass even after the wine isnt in contact with that part. If they do, the alcohol is likely stronger than normal and lends what is called a body to the wine. This is essentially how heavy this wine is on your palate.

Earn Your Glass Of Wine Before You Drink

Walking in the early evening will help keep your metabolism up and will also slow down the need to feed impulse that we often have at the end of the day. Walking is a natural decompression. This habit may help reduce over drinking as well.

Setting your diet up for success means increasing your metabolism. Whats interesting about wine is that it also increases metabolism for about 70-90 minutes. Its important to drink water when you consume wine and liquor to maintain the balance of water in your cells since alcohol is a diuretic. Youll note that beer is different than wine and causes cells to swell.

Men and women who drink alcohol tend to have a stable body weight over a decade of observation compared with their non-drinking counterparts, whose weight increases.A prospective study of alcohol intake and change in body weight among US adultsPubmed.gov

You May Like: Is Moonshine Illegal In Illinois

What Can I Mix With Red Wine

Sangria is always a good plan when it comes to holiday parties. Theres nothing easieror more satisfyingthan stirring together dry red wine, brandy and a bounty of fresh-cut fruit chunks. Sweetened with sugar and orange juice, sangria by the pitcher lets your guests know theyre in for a festive time.

What Kind Of Wine Is Good For First Time Drinkers

If youre just starting started with wine, here are five of the most popular varieties in the United States to try.

Don’t Miss: Is Malibu Wine Safari Open

How To Get Into Wine: Practical Tips To Grow Your Palate Experience And Enjoyment

Theres no right or wrong way to learn about wine. Maybe you start by buying a different bottle each time you go to the store. Or you attend a tasting and sample something interesting with a friend. Perhaps you take a course and study the people, places and techniques involved.

No matter where you start, the most important thing to remember is that the journey is yours.

Wait Up To Drink Your Wine In France

Once everybody has been poured a drink, the host, or a guest, then may or may not raise his glass to a toast.

If this happens, you have to drink, even if you just moisten your lips. Its rude not to.

And if your host doesnt give a toast, then you may drink as soon as he has started. But in any case, French people will always wait for everybody to have a full glass in front of them to start drinking.

In less formal settings, everybody gives a French cheers, saying:

Then we clink our glasses, take a sip, and put it down.

Don’t Miss: Ounces In 750 Ml Bottle Of Wine

Points To Keep In Mind Before Having Your First

Having your first drink can be quite a milestone momentan experience you remember all your life. But before you enter the world of adulthood with a tipple, here are some pointers to help make your first bar experience a winner.

It is always better to have a cocktail than a neat drink, when you are having alcohol for the first time. Photo credit: Karly Gomez/ Unsplash

Red Wine Is Arguably One Of The Most Popular Choices Across The Globe Out Of The Numerous Variations Blends And Flavours Red Wine Not Only Makes For The Favourite Drink But Is Also Deemed As Healthy

• Sarika Rana

Drinking red wine is no cake-walk. A drink as classy as red wine needs to be consumed with certain panache. Most of us may love savouring it however, not many may know how to drink red wine. Here are some of the mistakes that are generally committed while drinking wine.

1. Filling the wine-glasses to the top

Red wine is a drink that needs to be enjoyed slowly and one of the most important aspects is to swirl the drinks in order to increase the amount of oxygen in the glass. Filling it to the top will not have enough room to do so.

2. Drinking red wine as soon as it is poured

You shouldn’t be drinking red wine as soon as it is poured but first you need to swirl it and sniff by sticking your nose in to the glass.

3. Over-doing it

Just because red wine has been considered as a healthy drink, it doesn’t mean you load up on gallons of it every day. A glass of red wine is okay as long as you have consulted your doctor.

A glass of red wine is okay as long as you have consulted your doctor

4. Holding the wine glass wrong

Always hold the wine glass by the stem. This will prevent heat from your hand from undoing all the hard work you did to get the wine to the right temperature.

How to drink red wine?

Drinking red wine is an experience therefore we have outlined the basic know-how of drinking red wine like a pro. Here’s how to drink red wine.

1. Take a look at the label of the bottle

2. Pick the right glassware

3. Now pour and swirl

4. Sniff the glass of wine

Read Also: How Many Ounces Is 750ml

How Can I Find Out The Best Time To Drink A Wine

Hello there! I’m Dr. Vinifera, but you can call me Vinny. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the fine points of etiquette to the science of winemaking. And don’t worry, I’m no wine snobyou can also ask me those “dumb questions” you’re too embarrased to ask your wine geek friends! I hope you find my answers educational, empowering and even amusing. And don’t forget to check out my most asked questions and my full archives for all my Q& A classics.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

Is there a website I can view that will allow me to enter the name/type/year of different wines I have and provide a timeframe for when best to drink it? For example, I have a Caymus Cabernet 2008, and Im not sure how long to let it age?

Michelle F., North Grafton, Mass.

Dear Michelle,

How about the website youre looking at now? WineSpectator.com subscribers can use our Wine Search database and see that all of the wines we recommend in our blind tastings have drink recommendations with their reviews. Of course, these are just guidelines provided by our tasters. You should adjust according to your own preference for older and younger wines.

To answer your specific question, we have two 2008 Caymus Cabernets in our database: the Napa Valley, which we recommend drinking now through 2018, and the Napa Valley Special Selection, which we recommend drinking now through 2020.

Dr. Vinny

Do First Time Drinkers Get Drunk Easily

According to whether its your first time drinking beer or your first time drinking alcohol, the answer is different! If youve had previous experience with other alcoholic beverages, it shouldnt make a difference, but if this is your first time consuming any alcoholic beverages, it will take less time to become intoxicated.

You May Like: Stella Rosa Pink Alcohol Percentage

How Do You Open A Bottle Of Still Wine

The wine bottles have corks or screw caps. A Screw Cap is simple, you open it as a regular bottle. For Corked bottles:

• Corkscrew is required to open a corked bottle of wine
• Start by removing the foil on top rim of the cork , using the small blade in the corkscrew.
• Twist the spiral of corkscrew into the cork.
• Lift the handle of the corkscrew, once almost half of the corkscrew is in the cork, to remove cork from the bottle.

How Do You Open A Bottle Of Champagne Or Sparkling Wine

The bottle of Champagne or Sparkling wine should be appropriately chilled, or else the pressure inside the bottle will cause the cork to release very quickly.

• Use a wine key to remove the foil below the large lip of the bottle.
• Use a napkin or a towel and put it over the cage and the cork for preventing the cork to fly off.
• Untwist the cage counterclockwise and keep the pressure on the cork to keep it from prematurely popping out.
• Twist the bottle and not the cork.
• Once the bottle starts to loosen from the cork and can spin freely, slowly pull the cork away from the bottle.
• The slower the cork separates itself from the bottle, the gentler hiss will occur. Therefore, you can control the cork separating itself from the bottle despite the pressure.

You May Like: What Wine Has The Lowest Calories

Dont Drink Before You Eat

Drinking wine before you eat has shown to increase appetite when consumed 30 minutes before eating, so save your wine for your meal. If you love to cook and drink at the same time, try splitting your glass of wine into 2 servings of 3 ounces each.

Also, having wine on a full stomach will make it so youll be less likely to feel the effects and more likely to absorb all of the associated calories.

Discovering Different Wine Types

A wine beginner might know the basic differences between a red and a white, but its also important to learn all the wine types and varietals. You can explore everything from Chardonnay to Viognier and Cabernet Sauvignon to Zinfandel in our guide to the most important red wine grapes and white wine grapes.

Don’t Miss: Glasses Made Out Of Wine Bottles

What Does Tipsy Feel Like

Euphoria After ingesting 2 to 3 alcoholic beverages as a male or 1 to 2 alcoholic beverages as a woman in an hour, a person will reach the blissful stage of intoxication. This is the stage where youre feeling a little tipsy. Its possible that youll feel more confident and conversational. It is possible that you will have a shorter response time and less inhibitions.

Best White And Blush Wine For Beginners

Riesling

White grapes from Germanys Rhine region make this floral white wine. Best from cooler climates, Rieslings enjoy tree fruit aromas like apple or pear. Their high acidity and fruitiness give Rieslings great aging potential.

Muscat

Like Riesling, Muscat is also a kind of floral white wine. It is one of the few varietals of wine that tastes like grapes. Muscats are sweet and enjoyed best when paired with desserts.

Rosé

Rosés are blush wines that are often light and fruity. Rosés come either dry or sweet. They are also enjoyed still, semi-sparkling, or sparkling. Rosés have a limited shelf life, making them best when finished not long after theyre opened.

Also Check: What Wine Goes With Cheddar Cheese

Rough Guidance As To Suitable Serving Temperatures:

NB Throughout, rosés behave as slightly fuller bodied equivalent whites.

The ideal cellar temperature of around 15°C falls within the preferred temperature range for the service of most red wines as well as the more complex, full-bodied whites. In cooler climates, it may be difficult to warm a bottle of red wine to a suitably high service temperature. In these circumstances, the wine may be poured into a decanter warmed with hot water prior to service. This not only aids the warming of the liquid, but the aeration also encourages the release of the wines aromas, which will also be subdued if the wine is too cool. Conversely, in warmer climates, it can be impossible to keep red wine at a sufficiently cool temperature, and lighter reds which can be chilled may be more appropriate here .

Do You Drink Wine Warm Or Cold

Red wine is often served at a higher temperature than white wine. The acidity of red wine can be overpowering if it is served at too low a temperature. There is a widely held belief across the world that red wine should be served at room temperature when served. This is not precisely accurate pouring red wine at a temperature that is too high might make it appear soupy and imbalanced.

You May Like: Is There Carbs In Wine

Does All Wine Get Better With Age

You might ask, Do all wines taste better with age? Actually, no. Wines with a low pH, such as Pinot Noir and Sangiovese, are more capable of tasting better with age than are less acidic wines. Tannins are a natural preservative, capable of keeping a bottle of wine palatable for 40 years or longer.