OH MY, WINE OR WHINE?

Okay, now we have food planned for our event, what do we serve to drink?  The answer to that is you can serve anything you wish and what you feel your guests will enjoy.  Keep in mind that you can spend a fortune when it comes to serving liquor, so keeping it simple with fewer choices might be the way to go.  If you decide to serve alcohol at your event be sure to also have available non-alcoholic beverages.

In this particular article we will discuss serving wine.  You do not need to be a connoisseur but it might be wise to know a little about wines.  All wine, whether still, sparkling, fortified or aromatized, is fermented grape juice.  It may be red, white or pink (rose’) and dry, medium or sweet.  Alcohol content can range from 5.5% up to 22%.  Wines are now produced in many countries throughout the world.  Climate, soil, topography and type of grapes will determine what wines are produced.  Prices are as varied as the different types of wine.  While living in California I sometimes drank “two buck Chuck” wine – Charles Shaw, sold at Trader Joe’s.  For cheap wine it was pretty good.  Many people wouldn’t even consider drinking the cheap wine, different strokes for different folks.  I’ve also sampled wines that were more than $100 per bottle.

Wine bottles come in all shapes, sizes and colors, but generally contain the same amount of 750 ml per bottle (not talking about the 2 & 3 liter wine bottles….).    You may have questions about the wine you plan to serve, such as, how long will the wine keep?  does it need to be decanted?  should it be chilled?  does the shape of the (wine) glass affect it’s taste?  which wines should be served with which foods? at what temperature should the wine be served? etc. etc. etc.

Relax, the world will not end if everything is not perfect (according to the connoisseurs).  The thing to remember about serving wine with food is “balance”.  Food and wine should complement each other, not overpower each other.  Neutral food is best with fine wine.  Where possible, team regional food with its local wines.  Allow personal preference to be your main guide.  You can always seek advice on foods that are difficult to match, such as chocolate, strong cheeses, asparagus and pickles.

If you are serving salad with lemon or vinegar in the dressing, wine should be acidic to balance it.  Light, dry whites, more acidic than reds, suit salads.  Sauvignon blanc is  good choice.  The sauce fish is cooked in can affect your choice of wine – e.g. creamy sauces need high acidity and effervescence, so choose dry whites. Fish cooked in red wine will taste good with red wine.  Sparkling wine is good to serve with egg dishes.  If you are serving hot and spicy food, ice cold beer is a better match than wine.  Sweet wines are good served with desserts.  It is recommended that you serve cheap before expensive, drink dry before sweet, light wines before full-bodied and young wines come before old.  Low alcohol and light wines are preferred for summer, heavier wines are more appropriate in cooler weather.  Sherry and Port are good dessert wines also.

Remember your budget, your personal preference, the occasion and the enjoyment of your guests are reasons to serve and drink wine.

TIP: To minimize any unpleasant after effects (hang overs), have one large glass of water for every glass of wine that you drink.

For additional information check out “101 Essential Tips – Wine” by  Tom Stevenson it is a great and simple resource.