Champagne is without question the finest sparkling wine made in the world. Champagne is the name of the wine region located about 90 miles northeast of Paris.
Champagne can contain up to three different grapes: Chardonnay, and the red grapes Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Vintage Champagnes are only produced in the very best years; they are always more expensive than non-vintage Champagnes, but they are not always better tasting. Most Champagnes are the supreme expression of the Champagne blender’s art, assembled from numerous vintages, multiple grape types and various selected vineyards within the Champagne district, then carefully hand made and fermented in the bottle. By making these blends, the Champagne winemakers are able to create a consistent ”house” style and, indeed, each Champagne producer has its own distinct style.
Finally, there are several important terms you will encounter on a Champagne label that tell you much about the contents. From dry to sweet, Champagnes are labeled Brut Absolut, Brut, Extra-Dry, Sec, Demi-Sec and Doux. Blanc de Blanc Champagne bottlings are made entirely from Chardonnay grapes and tend to be lighter and more delicate in style. Blanc de Noirs Champagnes are made from red grapes and tend to be fuller bodied and richer tasting; Rose Champagnes are dark pink in color and frequently intensely flavored.
In Champagne, the name and reputation of the producer tells you more about the wine than any other single factor. Champagnes combine the complexities of fine grapes grown in some of the best vineyards in France with the intricate subtleties of yeast and sometimes even oak elements plus the experience of tongue-tickling delight from pinpoint bubbles and effervescence to create one of the most sensual taste experiences in the world!
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Grenache noir is the world’s most widely planted grape used to make red wine, sometimes made into a stand-alone varietal, frequently as a rosé, but most often as a backbone of red blends.
Used as a component in some Northern Rhône reds, nearly exclusively for Rhône rosés and as the primary component in nearly all Southern Rhône red blends, Grenache is probably most notable as the base varietal for Chateauneuf du Pape, Cotes du Rhône and Gigondas. In spite of its fame coming from French wines, Spain is most likely this grape’s origin
Grenache is known by local names (alicante, carignane rousse) in the Mediterranean regions of France. Particularly important in the areas of the Languedoc and Rousillon, there are also variants with different colored berries: white grenache blanc, and pink grenache rose or grenache gris. Nearly three times as much grenache is planted in Spain as in France. The spanish know this grape and wine as garnacha or garnacha tinta, where it is the dominant red wine variety in Catalonia and prominent in Rioja. The grape is known in Italy as cannonau.
In the New World, Australia has extensive plantings of Grenache and has been very successful making full-bodied Grenache-dominated red blends. Until surpassed by plantings of merlot in the past decade, Grenache was the third most planted red variety in California after Zinfandel and Cabernet Sauvignon. Most of this acreage is in the Central Valley and used to produce bulk rather than premium wine.
An abundant producer of fruit, grenache habitually will "alternate" a crop of 8 to 10 tons per acre one year and 14 to 16 tons the next. The vine is very sturdy and woody, lends itself well to head or spur pruning, and survives arid and drought conditions better than less vigorous vines. Cool and damp conditions can cause "deadarm" disease in grenache, however, and its compact and well-filled clusters are quite prone to rot. The grenache grape is relatively low in both pigment and malic acid, and oxidizes readily. Although some 100% varietal wines are produced from grenache, particularly in Spain’s Rioja and from some "other countries grenache is noted as a filler
On its own, grenache makes fleshy, heady, very fruity wines in their youth. They tend to age quickly, showing tawny colors and prone to oxidation or maderization after only a relatively short time in bottle. The general character and mouthfeel of Grenache wines are more distinctive and identifyable than any particular aromas or flavors.
For more information see Wine glasses designed and priced for everyday lifestyle Handmade wine glasses for the discerning wine lover
The vintage wines are wines specifically grown in a certain year. These wines are labeled by the year they were grown rather than by the different region or grape used to make the wine. These grapes are usually all grown in the same year also. Every year the same wine may have a different variation in color and slightly in taste.
Many other characteristic differences noted with vintages include the nose, palate, body, and the development. They are considered to improve in flavor with age when they are stored properly. It is very common for wine collectors to hold onto a vintage bottle of wine for a special occasion to consume.
Non-Vintage
Non-vintage wines are wines produced from grapes and wines not from the same vintage. They do maintain the consistency with the taste of the wine and the other characteristics. These wines often sell better because they maintain the same flavor. Even in a bad year these wines can be blended and produced because the grapes come from different vintages.
Next time you here someone use the term “vintage” you will know exactly what they mean. This will help you to appear ‘in the know’ and you will be able to impress others with your knowledge. Quality wine is something that socially elite people understand. You can join their ranks and have a great time in the process.
Wouldn’t it be cool to get to the point where you can tell what region the wine was created in? And if you have really great capabilities you might even be able to pinpoint the decade. That would involve tasting a lot of wines and you might not be ‘that into it’. It’s nice to speculate about the possibilities though, isn’t it?
Next time you are at a party, your new knowledge of vintage vs non-vintage may be a nice way to provide value to your social group. Enjoy your next wine tasting.
Scott Wells writes for where you can learn to just in time for the holiday season.
There are many wines considered to be ‘fruit wines’. These wines are received the name as they have ingredients of different types of fruits contained in them, rather than by the use of grapes. They usually will have a name referring to the type of fruit used to make the wine. Apple wine and plum wine are good examples.
However, fruit wines will not be called ‘wine’ as the term wine is designated specifically as a drink made with grapes. The name of the fruit must be in front of the word wine. This is to eliminate confusion. This also includes country wine which is the Great Britain version of fruit wine and a good indication that the wine is not made from grapes.
Many people make their own fruit wine. It can be made from any type of food that is sufficiently sweet. You might have to add a little table sugar or honey for the proper amount of sucrose.
Fruit wine is not always made from fruits. It can be produced from different plant sources that are not considered to be fruits. These types of fruit wines are often made from things like rice, dandelion, flowers, and more.
Apple wine is a German fruit wine which is made from apples. This wine is called Apfelwein in Germany. This is a form of cider that has an alcoholic content of 5.5% to 7%. Some say the taste of this wine is tart and sour. Some North Americans consume a drink in the winter months called apple cider. This most often is the very same thing but does not contain the alcoholic content. Apfelwein is often sold by the jug rather than in bottles like other wines around the world.
Wine can be produced with most fruits and berries around the world in cooler climates. It depends on the types and the amount of fermentable sugars contained inside of the fruits. Some fruits that have excessive levels of citric and malic acid can be fermented also.
Fruit wines usually need to be consumed at least a year after they are produced. These are not wines that get better as they age because of the fermentation issues. Because fruits most often need added sugars to make fruit wines these are not the natural sugars grapes have. They do not ferment the same and often need things like phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium added, which only allow the flavor to last for approximately one year.
There are many different fruits used to make fruit wines. The fruits that make the best fruit wines are elderberries, plums, peaches, blackberries, huckleberries, blackcurrants, and pomegranates. These fruit wines resemble grape wines and taste very similar.
Fruit wines are made from other fruits such as apricot, bananas, cherries, pineapple guava, and blueberries. Wines can also be made from flowers such as hibiscus, elderberry, and dandelions. Vegetables such as potatoes, rhubarb, and parsnip are also used to make fruit wines.
Scott Wells writes for where you can learn to just in time for the holiday season.
The internet has always been a haven for shopping for almost everything. And placing an order to buy wine online has been the simplest task for anyone. It doesn’t matter what type of wine you need, it will be delivered to your doorstep after a few days of ordering it. There are several things you need to remember when you buy wine online, though.
First off, you have to figure out what type of wine do you need and for what occasion do you need it for. It also helps if you can picture the date you will exactly be needing it to give time for deliveries when you .
You can also try googling it. There are companies that may not allow you to buy wine online, so to just be on the safer side, it helps to have different options of companies that will present you a variety of choices that are available online. Then it is up for you to decide on what would be the best deals for your purchase. Then you may readily pay for it via major credit cards.
All you have to do now is to wait for your order. Some websites have the time frame of three to five days for delivery. This is very convenient for those people who do not get to have much time in doing the buying themselves or if the type of wine isn’t available in nearby stores. Buying wine online has definitely made better options for customers.
Buying wine online has been a chosen alternative for many and so far, the results have been satisfactory. You just have to make sure of the company you are buying it from and the type of handling they are doing as you know of course that this would affect the wine’s flavor and possibly its packaging.
Just like in any literary genre, the genre of wine writing varies greatly. The straight-forward wine and cocktail guides, sure, are still prominent. But they have been joined by wine writing that take off from various viewpoints: there are wine books for armchair scientists, historians, adventurers, academics, as well as those simply for the avid drinker.
The world of booze has never offered so many wonderful and different books to enjoy while, of course!, enjoying a nip as well. So keep your wine/cocktail guides at the ready, get those feet up on the ottoman, and enjoy some wine education in the comfort of a good read and glass of wine.
For those inclined towards history and are lovers of wine, there are several books of note:
Champagne: How the World’s Most Glorious Wine Triumphed Over War and Hard Times and Wine & War: The French, The Nazis, and The Battle for Frances Greatest Treasure by Donald and Petie Kladstrup. If you love war history and wine, both of these books are excellent choices. The Kladstrup’s have done thorough research and write in a style that never bores.
The Widow Cliquot by Tilar Mazzeo. Mazzeo from the outset of her book admits that there were few materials to work with when she undertook her endeavor, as the Widow’s story is mostly one that “lives in the shadowy half-life of oral folk legend.” Nonetheless, she is a more than impressive biographer, and Veuve Cliquot’s life – and all she accomplished – is nothing short of impressive.
Judgement of Paris by George Taber. California wines besting French Bordeaux? Mon dieu! Get the real true “Bottle Shock” story from the man who first broke it in 1976. Taber is the real deal – and unlike that botched movie starring Alan Rickman (who, it must be said, I adore) Judgement will keep you on the edge of your seat. Even if you do already know the ending.
Now for the scientists in the house:
To Cork or Not to Cork by George Taber. Yes, it’s true. I’m a fan. This guy is a tried and true reporter and in this fascinating book on cork vs. screw-cap (yes, that modifier “fascinating” is correctly placed), he takes a thorough look at the industry of bottling wines and what he finds may come as a surprise.
What the Nose Knows by Gilbert Avery. Not a wine book, exactly, but Avery – a sensory specialist who works at the Monell Institute in Philadelphia, has written an amazing book on that least used of all senses: smell. For those who like to appreciate their wine by first taking in a deep inhalation of its aromas, this is a must for you.
Lastly, for those who love good adventure stories and “meeting” interesting folks from around the world:
The Battle for Wine and Love: or How I Saved the World From Parkerization. Ms. Feiring makes no bones about the wines she most loves – they are those that are all about terroir and cultivated and produced by traditional, oft-times, small time farmers from around the globe (mostly Europe, though). This is an especially entertaining read when it comes to Feiring’s rants on Robert Parker, and specifically those wine producers who seem to create wines specifically for his pallate (and a 90+ rating). Funny, clever, incisive, bold Alice.
Red, White, and Drunk All Over by Natalie McLean and Bacchus and Me by Jay McInerny. These two books make terrific companions as both McLean and McInerny travel the globe in search of more wine knowledge and more than one great sip. McLean’s curiosity is infectious while McInerny’s writings have never been better. Both books are sensuous in their descriptions of wines so be sure and have a favorite bottle nearby for when you start to salivate.
First Big Crush by Eric Arnold. Whereas our adventurer Arnold goes to New Zealand for a year to work at Allen Scott Winery and learns from field to vat to which way and that all there is to know about the winemaking industry. Oh, and did I mention he knows next to nothing when he starts out? Arnold’s book is bawdy, laugh-out-loud riotous at times, yet still manages to impart great knowledge of what it must be like to run a winery.
So what are you waiting for? Get thee to your local book/wine merchants, and get to it. That wonderful crisp weather is just begging you to stay inside. For extended reviews on most books mentioned here, please visit www.wineclass.net.
Jenny Park works at The Wine School of Philadelphia
It was 2:30 in the morning at the Wine Library Lounge and the last guests have bid their farewells. Sam sat down on a small corner table to fill out the sales report. With him was a half-empty bottle of 1979 Chateau Fonplegade, a lovely Grand Cru Classe from St. Emilion. This one was from a collector’s series featuring Van Gogh’s “Route aux Cypress” on the label. Earlier in one of the private rooms of the Wine Library Lounge a party of three had polished off three delicious Burgundy 1er Crus from vintages in the 70s. Prudently, they decided to quit after finishing half of the fourth and last for the night. The host was a compellingly elegant woman in a slender red business suit. In a stylish gesture of generosity, she said to Sam. “Please remove the bottle at once before I force my guests to help me finish it.”
Life as a sommelier is full of perks when the guests you serve have the style and the finesse. Sam gets a kick out of serving guests who know how enjoy the game. They get to enjoy the evening so much more than the others.
The Ch. Fonplegade was exactly the kind of company Sam needed after a hard-working evening. Wine guys – sommeliers to students of the old school – are frequently regarded as necessary evils. It is unfortunate but often true that a sommelier is perceived by customers as an obstacle to overcome because they can get what they want.
C’mon, tell me one, please?” She asked with the desperate charm of a whinchat.
Sam’s good side completely dominated the man tonight. “There was this gentleman the other evening. He came in very late with a lovely lady as his date. He opened doors for her, removed her coat and pulled her chair – the works. It’s the game – one of those things that make it fun to be a woman. He did it so well and she was soaking it up. You can see it in her eyes trying to hide her adoration of the man. Then I presented him with the wine menu.” Sam paused for a sip.
“What?” She exploded grabbing his hands with a fierce squeeze. Sam went on to explain.
There aren’t any logical explanations to why some customers feel intimidated about wine. Dining out is a game. Wine makes it more fun to play the game. As a paying customer, you want to get the most out of your money. That should include the full treatment which we don’t get if we don’t learn how to play the game.
Selecting the playground
Ordering the wine
Inspecting a bottle
Giving serving instructions
Tasting and approving the wine
Drinking and conversing
Corkage, tipping and BYO etiquettes
Let’s look into these components one at a time.
The Ch. Fonplegade was exactly the kind of company Sam needed after a hard-working evening. Wine guys – sommeliers to students of the old school – are frequently regarded as necessary evils. It is unfortunate but often true that a sommelier is perceived by customers as an obstacle to overcome because they can get what they want.
An eager young waitress sat down timidly in front of Sam. Ordinarily she and her little dimple on her left cheek would have been woofed away. Tonight, she even got a small glass of the wine. She took that as a cue for permission to speak.
“Sam, you’ve been a wine guy for a number of years. I’m sure you have some stories cellared in that wisdom chest inside your head. C’mon, tell me one, please?” She asked with the desperate charm of a whinchat.
Sam’s good side completely dominated the man tonight. “There was this gentleman the other evening. He came in very late with a lovely lady as his date. He opened doors for her, removed her coat and pulled her chair – the works. It’s the game – one of those things that make it fun to be a woman. He did it so well and she was soaking it up. You can see it in her eyes trying to hide her adoration of the man. Then I presented him with the wine menu.” Sam paused for a sip.
“Our suave Cary Grant froze into a bronze statue. He just sat there forever staring at the menu without so much as a word or a hint that he was still breathing. Now what could cause someone like that to stop dead on his tracks?” Sam paused and looked into those big young shinny eyes.
“What?” She exploded grabbing his hands with a fierce squeeze. Sam went on to explain.
There aren’t any logical explanations to why some customers feel intimidated about wine. Dining out is a game. Wine makes it more fun to play the game. As a paying customer, you want to get the most out of your money. That should include the full treatment which we don’t get if we don’t learn how to play the game.
Learning the game is a lot simpler than most beginners might think. But let’s get one hang-up out of the way right now. You don’t need to learn French. Whew! And this game is definitely easier than singing or dancing. Every component of a little game is an opportunity for the player to have fun. Once you know the game, they won’t be obstacles anymore.
Selecting the playground
Ordering the wine
Inspecting a bottle
Giving serving instructions
Tasting and approving the wine
Drinking and conversing
Corkage, tipping and BYO etiquettes
Let’s look into these components one at a time.
Selecting the playground
Divers and skiers are just as zealous when it comes to choosing a venue to satisfy their thirst for thrills and discoveries.
Wine enthusiasts shouldn’t settle for anything less either. The fun and thrill of dining out is to experience something that we don’t get at home. If the wines served in a restaurant are stuff that you find in the neighborhood wine store, you have probably picked the wrong restaurant. Good food can take you half way there at best.
A good restaurant always offers wines that are not readily available on retail. They do so by investing in and maintaining a cellar to collect and age many bottles of the wine.
Reading the restaurant’s wine menu may not be as engaging as reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but it shouldn’t feel like re-reading The Goblet of Fire (book 4 for those who is one generation behind) for the 18th time. A great restaurant is obliged to offer a wine selection so wide and deep that it will keep you intrigued for endless return visits.
Word of Advice
Make an extra effort when choosing a dining venue. Not all are tuned in to the wine culture. Call up ahead to ask. If you stumble into a wrong one, don’t be shy to walk out. There are better places for you to spend your money.
Ordering your wine
Reading, for many of us is a pleasure best savored in privacy. Reading a wine menu is a pleasure to wine lovers. Poorly trained wine staff tends to crowd the scene with unwanted attention and worse, importunate suggestions.
Feel free to firmly fend off the “Would you like red or white?” and the “We have wine by the glass also.” A simple “Please check back in 10 minutes” would do nicely. Occasionally, that doesn’t work. Then it calls for a “Please bring me some water chilled to 15 degrees. Then add a twist of lime without the peel.” This will buy you 10 minutes of private reading pleasure, I hope.
Many restaurants are pressured by wine merchants to sell their wine. That’s why we often get these lines from even the bus boys: “We highly recommend this great Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile” or “This Napa Valley Zinfandel is the most popular wine in town today.”
It is perfectly acceptable to ask questions about any wine on the menu, as long as your line of questioning leads to the deliverance of a verdict in the foreseeable future.
Advice to the prudent
Spend 5 minutes to browse the wine menu and get a general feel for what kinds of wines the venue has to offer. Then turn to the food menu and decide what you will eat. After that, let the sommelier return to discuss wine and food pairing before ordering your wine.
Inspecting a Bottle
The process of inspecting a bottle of wine serves an indispensable purpose – to allow the customer one last chance to change his mind before the restaurant puts the wine on the bill.
The procedure is simple and quite standard.
Wine waiter: presents you with a bottle of the wine that you ordered, showing you the label with a few words, not of praises, but of the pertinent details of the wine. The words are to assert that the wine is indeed the one that you ordered.
Guest: examines the details of the wine mainly for purpose of authentication. Things to look for are (1) name of the wine, (2) name of the producer/shipper in the case of wines from Burgundy and Rhone for example, and (3) vintage year. You only have to nod your head to signify your approval, not of the wine but of the bottle only.
Wine waiter: thanks you for your acceptance and asks you for permission to uncork the wine.
There. No pain at all. More to follow so please read on.
Advice to the novice
Giving Serving Instructions
This paragraph is optional. Those readers taking the beginners’ course are welcome to jump to the next section.
Are you still here? Welcome.
Selecting a wine is just half of the ordering process. Most people give up their basic rights of ordering the way they prefer their wine to be prepared and served. Leaving it up to the sommelier is acceptable if you know them well. Otherwise, go the extra yard and give specific instructions.
Here are the fundamental parameters to wine preparation and services on which you can base your instructions.
Temperature at which you want the wine to be served
Do you wish the wine to be kept in an ice bucket or a wine cooler?
Decant, double decant or serve straight from the bottle
Types of wine glasses you prefer
Sequence of services when you order more than one bottle
Help yourself or let the waiter do the pouring
How much wine (e.g. less than half full) to pour into your glass
Any decent restaurant will be wiling and able to accommodate requests within those parameters. If you are unlucky meet with stiff resistance on this front, it will only be poetic justice for you to walk out or at least, reject the wine. Why should you pay for inadequate facilities and a complacent service attitude?
Advice to the discerning wine lover
Do not assume that your instructions are followed. More often than not they are not. Don’t be shy to complain or even threaten to reject the wine if your instructions are not followed.
Selecting the playground
Golfers travel around the world just to play courses that catch their fancy. Divers and skiers are just as zealous when it comes to choosing a venue to satisfy their thirst for thrills and discoveries.
Wine enthusiasts shouldn’t settle for anything less either. The fun and thrill of dining out is to experience something that we don’t get at home. If the wines served in a restaurant are stuff that you find in the neighborhood wine store, you have probably picked the wrong restaurant. Good food can take you half way there at best.
A good restaurant always offers wines that are not readily available on retail. They do so by investing in and maintaining a cellar to collect and age many bottles of the wine.
Reading the restaurant’s wine menu may not be as engaging as reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but it shouldn’t feel like re-reading The Goblet of Fire (book 4 for those who is one generation behind) for the 18th time. A great restaurant is obliged to offer a wine selection so wide and deep that it will keep you intrigued for endless return visits.
Word of Advice
Make an extra effort when choosing a dining venue. Not all are tuned in to the wine culture. Call up ahead to ask. If you stumble into a wrong one, don’t be shy to walk out. There are better places for you to spend your money.
Ordering your wine
Reading, for many of us is a pleasure best savored in privacy. Reading a wine menu is a pleasure to wine lovers. Poorly trained wine staff tends to crowd the scene with unwanted attention and worse, importunate suggestions.
Feel free to firmly fend off the “Would you like red or white?” and the “We have wine by the glass also.” A simple “Please check back in 10 minutes” would do nicely. Occasionally, that doesn’t work. Then it calls for a “Please bring me some water chilled to 15 degrees. Then add a twist of lime without the peel.” This will buy you 10 minutes of private reading pleasure, I hope.
Many restaurants are pressured by wine merchants to sell their wine. That’s why we often get these lines from even the bus boys: “We highly recommend this great Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile” or “This Napa Valley Zinfandel is the most popular wine in town today.”
It is perfectly acceptable to ask questions about any wine on the menu, as long as your line of questioning leads to the deliverance of a verdict in the foreseeable future.
Advice to the prudent
Spend 5 minutes to browse the wine menu and get a general feel for what kinds of wines the venue has to offer. Then turn to the food menu and decide what you will eat. After that, let the sommelier return to discuss wine and food pairing before ordering your wine.
Inspecting a Bottle
The process of inspecting a bottle of wine serves an indispensable purpose – to allow the customer one last chance to change his mind before the restaurant puts the wine on the bill.
The procedure is simple and quite standard.
Wine waiter: presents you with a bottle of the wine that you ordered, showing you the label with a few words, not of praises, but of the pertinent details of the wine. The words are to assert that the wine is indeed the one that you ordered.
Guest: examines the details of the wine mainly for purpose of authentication. Things to look for are (1) name of the wine, (2) name of the producer/shipper in the case of wines from Burgundy and Rhone for example, and (3) vintage year. You only have to nod your head to signify your approval, not of the wine but of the bottle only.
Wine waiter: thanks you for your acceptance and asks you for permission to uncork the wine.
There. No pain at all. More to follow so please read on.
Advice to the novice
More frequently than we might think, waiters fail to bring you exactly the wine you ordered. Ask for the wine list when the bottle is presented. Compare what you see on the label to the data on the wine list to make sure what you see is indeed what you have ordered.
Giving Serving Instructions
This paragraph is optional. Those readers taking the beginners’ course are welcome to jump to the next section.
Are you still here? Welcome.
Selecting a wine is just half of the ordering process. Most people give up their basic rights of ordering the way they prefer their wine to be prepared and served. Leaving it up to the sommelier is acceptable if you know them well. Otherwise, go the extra yard and give specific instructions.
Here are the fundamental parameters to wine preparation and services on which you can base your instructions.
Temperature at which you want the wine to be served
Do you wish the wine to be kept in an ice bucket or a wine cooler?
Decant, double decant or serve straight from the bottle
Types of wine glasses you prefer
Sequence of services when you order more than one bottle
Help yourself or let the waiter do the pouring
How much wine (e.g. less than half full) to pour into your glass
Any decent restaurant will be wiling and able to accommodate requests within those parameters. If you are unlucky meet with stiff resistance on this front, it will only be poetic justice for you to walk out or at least, reject the wine. Why should you pay for inadequate facilities and a complacent service attitude?
Advice to the discerning wine lover
Do not assume that your instructions are followed. More often than not they are not. Don’t be shy to complain or even threaten to reject the wine if your instructions are not followed.
Tasting and approving the wine
Armed with your permission, the sommelier will proceed to uncork your bottle of wine. This should be performed in your presence as a rule. It shows that the bottle you approved is the same one that is being opened.
You are then given the right to taste and then decide to approve or reject the wine. Here is the protocol.
Wine waiter: asks for permission to uncork the wine. He opens the bottle (see Giving Serving Instructions) and sets the cork down in front of you.
Guest: Examine the cork or simply wave the waiter to pour the wine. Some corks have a stamp of the wine’s name on it. This will make it easier to authenticate the wine. Most of us just skip this step but there are those who like to pick up the cork and smell it. Don’t.
Wine waiter: pours a little bit – about 1/10 of your glass – for your tasting.
Guest: examine the color, twirls the glass a bit and drinks the wine. Now come crunch time. You make the all important decision – to accept or to reject. Let’s say you accept. A nod would do.
Wine waiter: thanks you and asks you if he may be allowed to serve now or let the wine breathe for a while first.
Guest: if you want it to be served, indicate to whom the wine should be served first, usually the guest of honor – your date, not the hunk seated at the adjacent table!
Wine will then be served as per your serving instructions. In the absence of specific instructions, house rules prevail. That’s pot luck. It’s not too late to double back to the previous section on Giving Service Instructions now.
Under what circumstances can a guest reject a bottle of wine?
Bottom-line is you can say “take it away” if the wine is bad. This means one of the following conditions applies:
. Wine is in poor health – disgusting odor, color completely faded
. Wine tastes like vinegar – wine is oxidized
. Wine is a fake – not the kind you ordered.
You cannot reject a wine just because you don’t like it.
Drinking and Conversing
Drinking is a rather personal thing. Some like to drink in large gulps between long intervals. Others like to take tiny sips incessantly. I know many who get the best of both worlds – large gulps in hardly detectable intervals.
Myths surrounding drinking are plenty and free. Bash them. Smoking is one of those. Unless you are paid in high six figures for tasting wines as a profession, you puff away while consuming a simple New World merlot. Food and wine pairing, on the other hand is serious business and should not be brushed off quite so quickly. A wrong decision here can mean the difference between lust and disgust.
An integral part of wine appreciation is talking about the wine. Sharing opinions and impressions about the stuff you drink is more than acceptable. It is expected and notoriously fun.
Feel free to step into the shoes of a Robert Parker and plagiarize about body, concentration, extract, length and depth if you are in that mood. Be more illusive if you like and whip up a soufflé of obscurities with words like character, distinction and finesse. You can even stretch the imagination with phrases like “a gallantly pathetic effort”. But would you go so far as one woman did? “This wine attacks the palate like a gust of cold ocean breeze against a freshly shaven leg”.
It is perfectly acceptable and indeed a chic gesture to beckon the sommelier for an earful of your comments. I have served wine in more than one occasion and I tell you that nothing gave me more pleasure than to listen to the comments of the guests. The efforts made to articulate their ecstasies were most flattering. Of course, I am a much better listener when offered a glass of the wine that caused all that excitement in the first place.
I remember one time when I was confronted by an attractive lady with a direct question. “Denny, what are the qualities of a good wine?” I could have answered that in two dozen ways involving a balanced mixture of bad poetry and overused jargons. Instead, what came out of my mouth was a mere “Big and long”. So much for poetry but that answer was exactly what was pictured in my mind.
Advice to the timid
Don’t hold back. This is the time for the poet in you to surface. Nothing you say can possibly be wrong, as long as you don’t break the golden rule – don’t short change yourself with anything not original. You are the only connoisseur that matters.
Corkage, Tipping and BYO etiquettes
We’ve all been held hostage by a custom called “corkage” which of course means that restaurant has the right to charge you a fee for bringing in your own drinks (can also apply to food). Is it fair? Certainly, but only as long as it is a consistent policy and the restaurant has a wine collection robust enough to satisfy our appetites for discoveries. Otherwise, they should quietly put up with bottles marching through their doors.
But let’s look at it from another angle. If we dine out, why burden ourselves with unnecessary chores like bringing a bottle of wine? Isn’t it more rewarding to hold the hand of your date rather than the neck of a cold hard bottle of Vega Sicilia?
BYO (Bring Your Own) etiquettes start and end with one basic rule. If you have to bring wine into a restaurant, the bottle should be in one or two classes above those that the restaurant has to offer. Don’t even think about bringing something that is readily available in retail shops. Putting it in another way, your BYO wine should be something that would cause the sommelier to misbehave all evening long hoping to get a sip of your wine.
Tipping is a matter of style and character. It transcends the basic obligation of rewarding the serving staff. It touches on the realm of a self-expression of satisfaction, a sigh of relief that the best has just transpired.
When in doubt tip profusely. When you do that, don’t forget to let the establishment hear all your constructive complaints. Nothing beats two-way communications even in a one-night relationship like this.
Advice to the frequent diners
Dining out is a just another form of shopping. First rule of shopping – when in doubt, ask, ask and ask again. One thing you shouldn’t do is to take a chance on anything that might ruin your evening. The average person has less than 50 memorable evenings in a year. Sadly more than half of them will turn out to be false alarms. A few great evenings will make it into your hall of fame. This might be one of them.
So there you have it.
Wine appreciation is much, much more than satisfying our cravings for good fermented grape juice. The interactions with the wait staff, the painful struggle to decide what to order for the night, the stories of mistakes and the occasional rare finds to share with wine friends are all part of the wine lifestyle.
We make an effort to learn the game not because we play to win. There are no scores in this game and there are no winners or losers. But beware. Don’t get to be too good at it. You might just wake up one day and find yourself with a new hobby for life.
Sam finishes his 79 Ch. Fonplegade. Big eyed waitress with a tiny dimple gets the empty bottle with a Van Gogh label to decorate her apartment. Another day in the life of a sommelier fades away. In the background, the song echoes “There before the grace of you, go I.”
Comments and questions can be sent directly to the author at this email address Wine@Yats-International.com.
One of the most common questions that come up in forums for people that are looking at decanting their wine is “Is it safe to drink out of a full lead decanting container?” This is a very good question. As you probably know lead is a very dangerous substance when it come into contact with humans, especially if it is ingested. Lead when ingested interferes with a number of body functions. I don’t want to scare you before we get to the answer of this question. But I do want to provide you with information as to what can happen if leads in large quanitites are absorbed into the body.
Lead poisoning is toxic to the human body. The organs of the body and tissue are considerable susceptible to the poison associated with lead. Organs like the heart, bones, intestines, kidneys and reproduction systems will have a hard time with lead, because the substance is so toxic it can cause potentially permanent learning and behavior disabilities. If you have been exposed to lead expect the following symptoms to show up. They include abdominal pain, headaches, anemia, irritability and seizures, coma or even death. So, it is very reasonable to not allow your body to be exposed to lead.
I know, the previous paragraph is a little scary. But, there is no need to worry when you are using crystal lead decanters. The leads in these decanters are not easily dispensed into wines when they are placed in them, if lead decanters were dangerous I suspect that the public would be notified by now. As long as you don’t use lead decanters as a means to store you wine or liquor you should not have a problem with lead decanters. The acid in the wine would take a long time to allow the lead to seep into the wine. According to nsc.org the following guidelines should be followed with using lead decanters.
1. Do not store liquids in lead glasses or bottles
2. Do not drink from lead crystal on a daily basis. Decant you wine in a day and drink it on the same day.
3. For best measures, do not feed a baby from a lead baby bottle or container.
http://www.nsc.org/issues/lead/leadindishes.htm has more information if you want to learn more about leads and glass. These are best practices procedures. Read them and take heed to their instructions. In the end lead decanters are still very viable options for decanting your wine. You just should not store you wine in these containers. If you are thinking about storing you wine, then look into lead free crystal decanters. That are better for the environment.
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Bar mitzvah is the ceremony which is held to celebrate the entry of a young boy into his adulthood and signifies the responsibility associated with adulthood. The idea of responsibility for personal action leading the attainment of puberty is truly believed in Jewish religion. The parents are responsible for the action of a boy before he enters the puberty. After bar mitzvah celebration the young boy is held responsible for all his actions. The bar mitzvah ritual allows the young man needs to take all the responsibility
The Bar Mitzvah Ceremony also allows the young man to take part in all the Jewish faith and practices. It is important that the Bar-Mitzvah is planned properly and according to the religious methods. All the rituals have to be done according to the Jewish ancient belief and practices. Therefore it is necessary to get in touch with some temple at least a year before and rightly follow the instructions. They will guide the parents as well as the family members to follow the right method and traditions needed for this religious ceremony. Lot of planning is required so as to make sure that the bar mitzvah ceremony is managed according to the Jewish culture. But also make sure that it should be entertaining for the guests present. Any slackness on the planning may also cause the event to fall down.
Budget plays an important role in the NYC bar mitzvah so its better you decide the budget in advance. Entertainment, food and decoration are few things which have to be taken care off. In fact try to prepare the guests list in advance as this will help the guests to plan their schedule accordingly. All the set up should be done on time so that you do not face last minute hassle.
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When you plan the bar mitzvah for that special young person then there are few things and rituals that need to be done. With the help of some planning you can only get through and can have fun for the whole day. It can be a fantastic deal if you get a space which specializes for such parties and can make your day as perfect as you would have expected that.
Bar mitzvah arrangements should be done according to Jew customs and traditions. While making arrangements it’s important that your young son should also be the part of it.
The bar mitzvah ceremony makes the young man to take part in any type of Jewish practices. It is really important to plan bar mitzvah wisely and all the religious methods should be followed. All the rituals and customs have to be followed and that too according to the Jewish ancient belief and conviction. In order to do all these rituals its better if you can get in touch with some temple at least few years before and precisely do all the required rituals. By doing this parents and other family members will follow the right method and tradition that is required for this religious ceremony.
With good planning you can make sure that mitzvah ceremony is followed according to Jewish culture and tradition. But only by performing rituals you cannot make entertaining for the guests. So it’s good if you also include some entertaining activities in the function. However budget also plays an important role in the New York City bar mitzvahs, therefore you should decide the budget in advance itself. Decoration, food and entertainment are some of the things that have to be well planned. Invite your guests a month before so that they can plan their schedule accordingly.
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