3 Moves Every Guy Must Master

[kara]

Ordering the right wine can impress your bosses, your dates, and even your cardiologist. Here's how


Wine has so many health benefits you'd think doctors would be prescribing the stuff by now. Drink a few glasses a week — particularly red, but white has benefits, too — and you'll lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and even cancer.

Wine's magic ingredients come from the skin of the grape. Resveratrol protects the body's cells, keeping them young and strong. Saponins bind to bad cholesterol and usher it out of the body. And flavonoids interfere with the multiplication of cancer cells.

Problem is, buying wine can feel like an Olympic event — as if you're being judged. And don't get me started on the wine culture, which is steeped in pointless snobbery. As if not knowing the difference between chianti and chardonnay makes you a lesser man.


Understanding wine is easy. It comes down to a few basic principles, which I've laid out here. So read on, drink up, and live long.

3 Moves Every Guy Must Master

1. Serving: Serve both red and white at room temperature. A chill can mask a wine's flaws and strengthen the astringent taste of the tannins. At room temperature, the wine's unique flavors — fruit, oak, whatever — are more obvious.

2. Decanting: Let wine breathe for 2 to 3 hours. Aeration speeds up the oxidation process that takes years to occur in a sealed bottle. This smooths out the taste and brings out complex flavors and aromas.

3. Tasting: First, give it a sniff, which primes your palate. Take a sip and let the wine hit every part of your mouth. You'll taste several flavors at once. The wine will evolve as you eat, as certain foods bring out different flavors.

How to Navigate a Wine Store

Treat it like a barbershop. Stay loyal to one store, and befriend a clerk who knows about the wines you like. Once he or she understands your tastes, your options will become endless. Here are a few other dos and don'ts.

Don't... Buy the label

There's a saying in the wine industry: "Put critters on the label, sell cases." Labels are designed by marketing companies who know how to trick you into buying juice that doesn't pack the thunder. Playful labels and cartoons are major warning signs. Be wary of red or yellow labels, which are designed to stand out.


Do... Double-check the ratings card

Often, wine shops post ratings for the wrong year. How much can the quality of wine vary from year to year? A ton. Most 2000 California cabernets are just average wines, for example, but the 2001 vintage is exceptional.


Don't... Choose from a display near the counter

Chances are, they're trying to unload wines that didn't sell as well as expected or are aging quickly. Either way, these won't be among the best bottles in the store.


Do... Pick up four new wines for every one of your old favorites

This is the key to expanding your palate — and be sure to keep good notes.

[Moksha]

the bit about letting wine breathe is bullshit. The only reason you'd theoretically let it breathe is if you'd open a bottle that was way too young (which you shouldn't be doing anyway). And even then... it doesn't necessarily make the wine taste any better.

[the crackhouse]

Ordering the right wine can impress your bosses, your dates, and even your cardiologist. Here's how


Wine has so many health benefits you'd think doctors would be prescribing the stuff by now. Drink a few glasses a week — particularly red, but white has benefits, too — and you'll lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and even cancer.

Wine's magic ingredients come from the skin of the grape. Resveratrol protects the body's cells, keeping them young and strong. Saponins bind to bad cholesterol and usher it out of the body. And flavonoids interfere with the multiplication of cancer cells.

Problem is, buying wine can feel like an Olympic event — as if you're being judged. And don't get me started on the wine culture, which is steeped in pointless snobbery. As if not knowing the difference between chianti and chardonnay makes you a lesser man.


Understanding wine is easy. It comes down to a few basic principles, which I've laid out here. So read on, drink up, and live long.

3 Moves Every Guy Must Master

1. Serving: Serve both red and white at room temperature. A chill can mask a wine's flaws and strengthen the astringent taste of the tannins. At room temperature, the wine's unique flavors — fruit, oak, whatever — are more obvious.

2. Decanting: Let wine breathe for 2 to 3 hours. Aeration speeds up the oxidation process that takes years to occur in a sealed bottle. This smooths out the taste and brings out complex flavors and aromas.

3. Tasting: First, give it a sniff, which primes your palate. Take a sip and let the wine hit every part of your mouth. You'll taste several flavors at once. The wine will evolve as you eat, as certain foods bring out different flavors.

How to Navigate a Wine Store

Treat it like a barbershop. Stay loyal to one store, and befriend a clerk who knows about the wines you like. Once he or she understands your tastes, your options will become endless. Here are a few other dos and don'ts.

Don't... Buy the label

There's a saying in the wine industry: "Put critters on the label, sell cases." Labels are designed by marketing companies who know how to trick you into buying juice that doesn't pack the thunder. Playful labels and cartoons are major warning signs. Be wary of red or yellow labels, which are designed to stand out.


Do... Double-check the ratings card

Often, wine shops post ratings for the wrong year. How much can the quality of wine vary from year to year? A ton. Most 2000 California cabernets are just average wines, for example, but the 2001 vintage is exceptional.


Don't... Choose from a display near the counter

Chances are, they're trying to unload wines that didn't sell as well as expected or are aging quickly. Either way, these won't be among the best bottles in the store.


Do... Pick up four new wines for every one of your old favorites

This is the key to expanding your palate — and be sure to keep good notes.

Good points here, many people wants to make you believe you don't know anythin about wine, but as music appreciation just don't fall into snobism. If you don't like a wine, it's not your fault, just try another one.

But don't think you don't like Chardonnay or another type, try and see to find what appeals you.

You don't have to talk for hours about a wine, just appreciate it (or not). And if you really don't like the wine, just throw the whole bottle, it is stupid to drink something which is wrong to you. I do that all the time it happens.

Idance

[the crackhouse]

the bit about letting wine breathe is bullshit. The only reason you'd theoretically let it breathe is if you'd open a bottle that was way too young (which you shouldn't be doing anyway). And even then... it doesn't necessarily make the wine taste any better.

You should not make that with new wine (under 2 years) it's useless, but with old wine: yes. You should even put it in a new recipient and shake it. It can really change the taste.

What damages the wine is the speed change of temperature.

Idance

[Moksha]

You should not make that with new wine (under 2 years) it's useless, but with old wine: yes. You should even put it in a new recipient and shake it. It can really change the taste.


no. that's not true. you should ONLY let very new wines breathe. Old wines should have already aged in the bottle.


The whole aging thinhg is a myth, anyway. Loads of sommeliers have done double-blind tests, and no study has found breathing to improve wine (though, it does cfhange wine).

YOU SHOULD NEVER SHAKE WINE

[Chris Conrad]

the bit about letting wine breathe is bullshit. The only reason you'd theoretically let it breathe is if you'd open a bottle that was way too young (which you shouldn't be doing anyway). And even then... it doesn't necessarily make the wine taste any better.

agreed and also impossible to do if you a: order a bottle at a restaurant or b: you can't bring an opened container with you to a restaurant if you drove...

[the crackhouse]

no. that's not true. you should ONLY let very new wines breathe. Old wines should have already aged in the bottle.


The whole aging thinhg is a myth, anyway. Loads of sommeliers have done double-blind tests, and no study has found breathing to improve wine (though, it does cfhange wine).

YOU SHOULD NEVER SHAKE WINE

Sorry, but having produced wine for some years, I think you are saying strange things.
Why would a young wine which is very "oxygenated" and not concentrated would need air? You can serve it from the bottle.

For old wines, may it be for its odour/smell or to get over the loaded concentration effects, you'll have to give it fresh air to rejuvinate his flavor. And shaking it is no crime if you don't have 1 or 2 hours to do it smoothly, if you're afraid of getting some sediment, it will take you 5 minutes before every solid parts come back to the bottom.

But nevermind, this is not very important and nothing should be taken as very important, the wine is good or not.

Idance

[dcook]

by shake I'm sure he meant swirling in the glass......


Decanting as a whole all depends on the wine itself....and your palette.....you don't neccessarily have to do this for young wines and/ or older vintages as well.......but I see and hear it being perfomed for older wines more often than the younger vintages......it actually does change the taste and aroma of the wine

a good experiment in wine tasting is too try the same wine in two different glasses........one to be a typical everyday type of wine glass and the second to be a larger "Reidel" type of glass (the big "snobby" looking ones). You really will taste and smell a significant difference

[the crackhouse]

by shake I'm sure he meant swirling in the glass......


Decanting as a whole all depends on the wine itself....and your palette.....you don't neccessarily have to do this for young wines and/ or older vintages as well.......but I see and hear it being perfomed for older wines more often than the younger vintages......it actually does change the taste and aroma of the wine

a good experiment in wine tasting is too try the same wine in two different glasses........one to be a typical everyday type of wine glass and the second to be a larger "Reidel" type of glass (the big "snobby" looking ones). You really will taste and smell a significant difference

Not the same glasses for white and wines of course will change the wine aspects big time.

And when I said "shake", I meant "shake". It may sound strong but you can do it, the wine will not explode or be lost.

Idance

[dcook]

yeah there is a special glasses for ever varietal it can be kinda ridiculous........but a NICE simple appropriate glass for red and another appropriate for white should suffice


I didnt buy into it at first but low and behold there was a distinct difference

[chldfknungrnd764]

I don't drink!

I bet that I can pick out some killer pop selections!:biglaugha:

[Edith A. Giles]

Ordering the right wine can impress your bosses, your dates, and even your cardiologist. Here's how


Wine has so many health benefits you'd think doctors would be prescribing the stuff by now. Drink a few glasses a week — particularly red, but white has benefits, too — and you'll lower your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, Alzheimer's, and even cancer.

Wine's magic ingredients come from the skin of the grape. Resveratrol protects the body's cells, keeping them young and strong. Saponins bind to bad cholesterol and usher it out of the body. And flavonoids interfere with the multiplication of cancer cells.

Problem is, buying wine can feel like an Olympic event — as if you're being judged. And don't get me started on the wine culture, which is steeped in pointless snobbery. As if not knowing the difference between chianti and chardonnay makes you a lesser man.


Understanding wine is easy. It comes down to a few basic principles, which I've laid out here. So read on, drink up, and live long.

3 Moves Every Guy Must Master

1. Serving: Serve both red and white at room temperature. A chill can mask a wine's flaws and strengthen the astringent taste of the tannins. At room temperature, the wine's unique flavors — fruit, oak, whatever — are more obvious.

2. Decanting: Let wine breathe for 2 to 3 hours. Aeration speeds up the oxidation process that takes years to occur in a sealed bottle. This smooths out the taste and brings out complex flavors and aromas.

3. Tasting: First, give it a sniff, which primes your palate. Take a sip and let the wine hit every part of your mouth. You'll taste several flavors at once. The wine will evolve as you eat, as certain foods bring out different flavors.

How to Navigate a Wine Store

Treat it like a barbershop. Stay loyal to one store, and befriend a clerk who knows about the wines you like. Once he or she understands your tastes, your options will become endless. Here are a few other dos and don'ts.

Don't... Buy the label

There's a saying in the wine industry: "Put critters on the label, sell cases." Labels are designed by marketing companies who know how to trick you into buying juice that doesn't pack the thunder. Playful labels and cartoons are major warning signs. Be wary of red or yellow labels, which are designed to stand out.


Do... Double-check the ratings card

Often, wine shops post ratings for the wrong year. How much can the quality of wine vary from year to year? A ton. Most 2000 California cabernets are just average wines, for example, but the 2001 vintage is exceptional.


Don't... Choose from a display near the counter

Chances are, they're trying to unload wines that didn't sell as well as expected or are aging quickly. Either way, these won't be among the best bottles in the store.


Do... Pick up four new wines for every one of your old favorites

This is the key to expanding your palate — and be sure to keep good notes.

This is good reading for me because I love drinking wine and I love to try different things...I once tried this cranberry wine which would be perfect for thanksgiving dinner, but I can't remember the name of it...I'll let you all know the name of the wine next time I buy it.

I've also tried blueberry wine and guava wine made by the same wine manufacturer, but I prefer the cranberry and the guava wines better...

The blueberry was kinda bitter for MY taste...

[kara]

yeah there is a special glasses for ever varietal it can be kinda ridiculous........but a NICE simple appropriate glass for red and another appropriate for white should suffice


I didnt buy into it at first but low and behold there was a distinct difference

when my parents redid their kitchen, they set up this entire 'wine' area, wth a built in mini wine fridge, and then above that and small storage area there's these glass cuboards where they display all their wine gllasses, they have like 3 or 4 kinds ... one for white, one for red, one for port and then a few of these others i don't know what they're for though.

it's really spectacular. their kitchen was featured in a magazine in connecticut and everything. but i've always though it's kind of overboard how much you can buy and do surrouding wine.

my stepfather collects old corks, too. they're kind of wine freaks come to think of it.

i believe the difference in wine glasses, as my stepdad explains, has to do with the 'letting it breathe' factor too.

[TAD]

Wine's magic ingredients come from the skin of the grape.

here's an idea and you're already on second base. let me see. bag of grapes: 2.99. bottle of chateau la mondotte saint emilion 1996 app. $608. hmmm grapes win. hee hee.

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1367326/2/istockphoto_1367326_ultimate_experience.jpg

[simon b]

here's an idea and you're already on second base. let me see. bag of grapes: 2.99. bottle of chateau la mondotte saint emilion 1996 app. $608. hmmm grapes win. hee hee.

http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1367326/2/istockphoto_1367326_ultimate_experience.jpg

:rofl5: Cheap bastid!

[Terry James]

sippin on vino now

[TAD]

:rofl5: Cheap bastid!

cheap & sexy!!

[NakedAge]

man wine is wine. In my culture we make the shit in our back yard. (Not us personally, tho our aunties and uncles etc from italy do. My nonno used to have a vine in his yard and my nonna on the other side used to have a concrete thing for squishing them)

In my family, Im the only of the kids who drinks a glass with dinner sometimes. Rest wont touch it.. Wine tastes shit anyways... Beer is where its at... And Vodka aswell. .. .. And tequila....


My stories of wine, socially and publically, all consist of hanging out with homeless people at the trainstation... Vodkas where its at :)

[Bill Blake]

The amount of time you let a wine breathe will affect its taste, even if minor. I like trying a wine when opened and noticing the difference when left to breath, new wines even to take on change. Orion is right in that it certainly won't make wines taste 'better'.

I don't--no matter how old or how much sediment--like my wine decanted. I consider the sediment an organic part of the wine and do not mind it in the last glass, letting me know it's done, and reflecting upon the bottle when good. I also don't think it's necessary to speed up the oxidation in letting the wine take its coarse while drinking it is fine on its own.

I see decanting as a useless artifact of the very 'snobbery' invoked by the writer for assumed class rich con.

Wine stores vary like anything else, good ones, bad ones, and in between. Fortunately Thirst, my local wine store is the best for all I've ever been.

Unlike most wine stores that tend to carry either very expensive wines, and the ones at reasonable prices are lesser in quality, Thirst has an array of cheaper wines that are exceptional and you really get a bang for your buck. You really shouldn't have to pay more than 20 dollars very enjoyable wine.

I'm drinking a 2006 Petalos, Spain, as I type. It's really good, soft tannins, low acidity, dark berry fruits, no oak.

Wine is one of the best things ever created by man, in its variety and complexity of taste, it truly is the blood of Christ...Amen.

[NakedAge]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.

[the crackhouse]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.

NakedAge,
It's like food, you can drink lots of different wines and be amazed by any of them.
You could taste 50 different orange juices and find a couple that really taste better than the others.

Maybe you haven't tasted enough wine already, or maybe you put all wines under the "arty farty" etiquette, which I cannot accept. People (and I did) are working hard to create something special from the grapes they have.

Like some arty farty Djs will play good records and you won't like the selection, it also matters to find people who just want you to feel good and appreciate wine. If you try to taste and sniff and look through the glass with some stupid wine-literattartist, just get drunk, it's useless and snob, I'm down with you on this.

Idance

[Pang]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.

You have alot to learn young man. . . .

[Bill Blake]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.

Dude go fuck off two times. You are one of the dumbest most annoying new fucks on this board.

No wonder you ain't gettin no pussy.

[the crackhouse]

Dude go fuck off two times. You are one of the dumbest most annoying new fucks on this board.

No wonder you ain't gettin no pussy.

This was tough Bill.
Wine equals Pussy?

Idance
(I must edit to confess I'm still laughing Bill!)

[kara]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.

don't write it off for good.
when you and your palette mature, you might find you enjoy it.

[Armento]

fuck wine man. Its a crushed grape, big deal? I'd be more impressed if Jesus' blood was made of pepsi.

All this arty farty wine shit, its like, big shit? wines wine. I dont see the value in it. Orange juice is better to me.
Yo I keep saying the same thing about Roo Vag™, but you just keep insisting it's all that

http://i17.tinypic.com/870vjug.gif

[Edith A. Giles]

Yo I keep saying the same thing about Roo Vag™, but you just keep insisting it's all that

http://i17.tinypic.com/870vjug.gif

Now Armen...you know you wrong for that...:rofl: