Wine and Soup

As the weather cools down, hot soup becomes more appealing. Matching wine to it is much easier if the soup contains a healthy proportion of solid food like meat, fish, vegetables, beans, pasta or rice. Always match the character of the wine to the character of the soup. A lighter wine with a lighter soup and a heavier one with a richer concoction! Match the wine to the most dominant flavor in the soup like lemon or garlic. Seasonings and spices like curry can alter the soup’s flavour so choose a wine that plays that flavor. For wine/soup affinity, you can add a little of the wine you are going to sip with the soup to its preparation. Finally, serve whites at cellar temperature or very slightly chilled and reds at room temperature.

Visiting Wine Country

A trip to wine country is always a delightful treat. If you’re contemplating one in the next short while, this time of year is ideal. Harvesting of the grapes and winemaking in most northern hemisphere countries takes place in September and October. It’s an exciting time to visit wineries. Aside from tasting lots of vino, you’ll be able to see the entire process of turning grapes into this wonderful nectar. That includes the picking of the grapes (some by machine and others by hand), crushing, pressing and, in many cases, the finished liquid put into barrels for aging. Not only is this a real education, but it will also give you a better appreciation of all the hard work that goes into creating your favourite imbibe. Plan ahead and enjoy.

Maneuvering Wine Fairs/Shows

With the Fall, wine fairs and shows kick into gear big time. Truthfully, these large events are not the ideal environment to taste product. Too many people and extraneous smells all get in the way of your wine appreciation. Some hints. Attend the show right when it opens so exhibitors are fresh and more willing to chat. Avoid the evening when all the “yahoos” come out. Dinnertime is also a good time to steer clear. Before you start tasting, consult the show guide and pick a varietal, vintage, wine style, country, region, etc. and focus only on the wines that fall into that category. Most importantly, DON’T SWALLOW. Don’t taste any more than four to five wines at a stretch, take lots of breaks, drink lots of water and nibble food often.

Wine Infused Ice Cream

No need to read the title of this posting again. You heard right. Mercer’s Dairy in Boonville New York has been creating wine infused ice cream for years. It’s a well-guarded secret as to how they infuse the wine into the confection, but who cares. Producing such wonderful vinous flavours as Cherry Merlot, Chocolate Cabernet, Peach White Zinfandel, Port. Red Raspberry Chardonnay and Riesling, it’s simply a delectable concept for any wine and ice cream aficionado. Containing 5% alcohol by volume you have to be of drinking age to enjoy it. Too bad kids! Winning all kinds of awards covering taste and new products to trends, innovation and marketing, this dairy is really on to something. www.mercersdairy.com

Wine Without Food

Occasionally folks want to sip some wine without food. What’s the best varietal or style to choose? For this purpose, I would go with fruity, unoaked (or minimally so), lighter bodied, crisp (higher acid or sourness), lower alcoholic selections. A little residual sugar in the wine works well here too. One of my all time favourites white varietals is Riesling. It’s so fresh, versatile and easy drinking. Unoaked Sauvignon Blanc from anywhere, Muscadet from France and Vinho Verde from Portugal are also great bets. For reds, try choosing varietals that possess little or no tannin (dry, puckery sensation on gums and lips) as this will render the wine bitter. Gamay or Pinot Noir should do the job nicely.

Wine Computer Programs

If you possess only a dozen or so wines, it’s easy to keep track of what you have. However, if your collection starts to grow to hundred of bottles, then you need some sort of program to keep track of what you have. In the market there are computer programs to help document and monitor your wines at home. These fascinating programs contain maps, wine region information, vintage charts, potential drinking times, food matches, places for tasting notes and much more. You have to keep it updated though. Every time you obtain new wine or drink some, it must be recorded, along with the pertinent information. Otherwise, you could forget you have something in your cellar or overlook wines that need to be consumed. 

Ethnic Restaurants and Wine

Love to dine out at Italian, French or Spanish restaurants? For most people the concept of dining at one of these places is to have a whole ethnic experience, including food and drink. Well here’s a tip on ordering wine at those establishments. Although most ethnic eateries will carry a selection of international wines, it’s best to stick to those of the country they represent. These were created to go with the flavour profile and seasoning palate of that particular cuisine and will most likely work best with it. So in an Italian restaurant, order Italian wine. Stick with French in a French eatery, and so on and so forth. This way your ethnic dining experience will be more accurate and you’ll really feel like you’ve had  a “taste” of that country