Sip Tips
SIP TIP: Chilling Wine
Episode
#101
Today’s sip tip is on temperature. We all know that a lot of wines taste better when they are well-chilled, but which wines exactly and how long should they be chilled? The wines that need the most chilling are sparkling wines and champagnes. These wines should be served pretty frosty, because the cold helps to hold the bubbles in, just like it does in a cola. Still white wines like Chardonnay also need to be served well-chilled, but do not need to be served as cold as champagne. And then there are red wines. Red wines should be served a little colder than you might think — at what used to be called “cellar temperature” — which is about the temperature of an air-conditioned movie theater. I put my red wines in the refrigerator for about five minutes before serving, so they are just a little bit cooler than room temperature. That’s my sip tip for today. Keep it cool!
SIP TIP: Corks vs. Screwtops
Episode
#102
My sip tip for today is about screw caps. The familiar sound of a cork being pulled from a bottle has been music to the ears of wine lovers for centuries, but it may soon be a thing of the past. Wineries all over the world are now using screw caps — and not just any old screw cap, but the expensive, good looking kind called a “Stelvin Cap.” Screw caps make opening wine a lot easier and they help preserve the freshness of the wine. Australia and New Zealand were the first countries to use screw caps, but now many wines from California and Europe are stoppered with screw caps too. I love screw caps especially for young fresh whites. That’s my sip tip for today. The next time you see a top wine with a screw cap, give it a try…or maybe I should say a twist.
Sip Tip: Aerating
Episode
#103
My sip tip for today is about aerating. Aerating is just the act of pouring wine into a decanter, pitcher or carafe. Wines that benefit most from aeration are young powerful reds like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Shiraz or Petite Sirah. By splashing the wine through air into a decanter, you literally “open up” the wine and make it taste softer and richer. I aerate just about every young red wine I serve, because besides making it taste better, it is kind of fun to serve wine from a decanter. That’s my sip tip for today. To make a wine taste softer, a little richer and more flavorful, pour it into a decanter before you serve it.
Sip Tip: Keep It Clean
Episode
#104
Have you ever had a wine that tastes and smells awful? Maybe it wasn’t the wine at all, maybe it was the wine glass. In fact, many of the wines that are sent back in restaurants are actually fine. What made the wine taste bad was an unclean glass. So washing your wine glasses perfectly is very important. The best way is to wash the wine glasses by hand using warm water and a minimum of soap. Then rinse them thoroughly because even a little bit of soap on a glass can make wine taste strange. When you dry glasses, use a tea towel or a special cloth that won’t leave any lint behind. When you store your wine glasses, store them on their feet rather than on their rims, because a wine glass stored upside-down can often take on the smell of the shelf. Above all, never serve dairy desserts in a wine glass. While a parfait served in a glass may look pretty, it’s almost impossible to get a wine glass clean once it has dairy products in it. And who wants their cabernet to taste like sour milk?
Sip Tip: How To Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine
Episode
#105
Starting the night out with a glass of sparkling wine is perhaps the best way to begin an evening. But opening the bottle itself can seem a little tricky. Luckily, it doesn’t have to be, if you follow these simple steps. To start, remove the foil on top of the wire and the cork. Next, loosen the wire cage just a few turns – leave the wire cage there. Then, put a cloth or a napkin over the top of the cork and just ease the cork out. French men say that if you open a bottle of sparkling wine correctly it should make a sound no greater than that of a contented woman’s sigh. And that’s all there is to it! Cheers.
Sip Tip: Learning Wine Speak
Episode
#106
There are some conventional wine terms that are really important to know because they allow you to remember wine more easily and give you a vocabulary when you’re talking to your local wine merchant. The top three words to know are body, acidity, and tannin. Body is the weight of the wine in your mouth. One way to remember body is to think about skim milk, whole milk, and cream. A light-bodied wine is like skim milk; a full-bodied wine feels like cream. Acidity is what makes wine lively, vivacious and refreshing. Zing is a good thing when it comes to wine, and in fact, wines that don’t have enough acidity usually taste pretty boring, dull, and flat. And then there’s tannin. Tannin tastes a little bitter, like an espresso, and it’s what gives wine its majestic structure. It also helps wine age. So remember body, acidity and tannin: three words no wine lover should be without.
Sip Tip: Vin Santo & Biscotti
Episode
#107
Of all the great marriages of Italian wine and food, one stands out as being simple, traditional, and thoroughly delicious: Vin Santo and biscotti. It just might be one of Italy’s best kept secrets. Biscotti are twice baked dry Italian cookies. You can find them in just about every supermarket in America. What many people don’t realize is that biscotti have a partner: Vin Santo. The way the Italians pair the two is to dip the biscotti right in the wine. Vin Santo is the traditional dessert wine of Tuscany, and it’s just slightly sweet, not sugary at all. Actually, it’s the wine that many Catholic priests drink during mass, hence the name Vin Santo or “holy wine.” You can buy Vin Santo now in just about any great wine shop in America, and it’s not even very expensive. Best of all, Vin Santo and biscotti are a perfect way to end any good meal. So forget coffee and cake. At your next dinner party, why not try biscotti and Vin Santo?
Sip Tip: Giving Wine as a Gift
Episode
#108
When you think about it, wine is just about the perfect gift. You don’t have to worry about the size being right, you don’t have to worry about it matching the décor, and best of all, wine gives the recipient hours of pleasure. It’s especially nice (and easy!) to give wine as a wedding gift. Think about special dishes the couple enjoys making and then choose a wine to match. Simply tie a little card around each bottle saying what the bottle is for. Be sure to include a special bottle of wine, like a great cabernet, that they can drink on their 10th anniversary. So there you have it. A very simple, very personal gift!
Sip Tip: Color
Episode
#109
Most wine books, including Karen MacNeil's The Wine Bible, advise you to look at a wine’s color before you taste. But what can you really tell about a wine from its color? Actually, two things. The color of a wine is a tip-off to its variety. Pinot Noir, for example, is always a light brick color, whereas Zinfandel is a dark, saturated, almost purple color. The color of a wine is also a tip-off to the wine’s age. All red wines get lighter as they get older and all white wines get darker. But here’s one thing you can never tell about a wine from its color, and it may surprise you. The intensity of the color is no indication of the intensity of the flavor. It may be tempting to think of darker wine as richer and more flavorful than a lighter wine, but that’s not necessarily the case. The lighter wine well may prove to be the more flavorful. In the end, you’ve got to taste a wine to tell anything about its flavor. But of course, that’s the fun part anyway.
Sip Tip: To Age or Not to Age
Episode
#110
Most of us age a wine for about as long as it takes to get it home from the supermarket. But is that a big mistake? Let’s say a friend gave you a bottle of wine for your birthday. Should you open it tonight or sequester it away for a few years? The answer is: it depends. The components in wine that allow it to age are sweetness, acidity, and tannin. A wine has to have one of those in fairly significant amounts if it’s going to withstand the test of time and actually taste better. Sweetness is pretty easy to understand because most people have a jar of honey somewhere in their kitchen that’s been there for years. Sweet desert wines, like that jar of honey, last a really long time, even decades. Wines like champagne or German Rieslings that are crisp and have a lot of acidity also last a long period of time and still manage to taste fresh and lively. And then there’s tannin. Wines like a Cabernet or Bordeaux that are high in tannin also age well over time because tannin is a preservative. So if you want to put a wine away, it’s got to have either sweetness, acidity, or tannin. If it doesn’t have one of these, you may as well just drink the wine tonight!
Sip Tip: The Punt
Episode
#111
Bottle shapes and sizes have a whole story unto themselves. Take, for example, what is called a punt. A punt is the indentation in the bottom of the bottle. You’ll notice that on bottles of Champagne, for example, the punt is very deep – deep enough that many people will pour a bottle of Champagne with their thumb in the punt. However, that’s not the reason why it’s there. Punts began as a result of what you could call a household problem. When bottles were first made, bottle makers blew the glass and ended the bottle at the bottom, leaving a point called the pontil mark. When those early bottles were put down on a table, they left a big scratch, upsetting hosts and hostesses. And so bottle makers began to turn that pontil mark inward, leaving a rounded surface so that bottles no longer scratched tables.
Sip Tip: Cooking with Wine
Episode
#112
To some, a great cooking wine is a wine you drink when you’re cooking. But, of course, there are also wines that you need to add to a dish. So what are some considerations when you’re cooking with wine? First, never use a wine you wouldn’t drink yourself. If the wine doesn’t taste good, it’s certainly not going to add great flavors to the dish. Second, while you could use just white wine or red wine, try adding Port, Sherry, or Madera. All three of these wines are sensational and they pack a huge wallop of flavor. Port has a winey richness. It’s fabulous in beef stew. Sherry has a complex, roasted nutty flavor that is great when you’re sautéing. And Madera has a soft, nutty, caramel flavor that is fabulous when you’re just brazing meat or vegetables. So remember: when you’re cooking with wine, make it count and make it sensational.
Sip Tip: Buying Wine
Episode
#113
Buying a wine for dinner might not be one of life’s easier tasks. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be that way. The fact is, even a small wine store can have hundreds of bottles and a large wine store can have thousands. So how do you get comfortable in a wine store? Three easy ways. First, choose a wine store where you feel really comfortable. Forget those places that are stuffy and make you feel like a dunce. Choose a wine shop where you can browse around and ask simple questions. Second, stay in one section of the store for six months or so. Get to know the types of wines in that section really well before you move on. It doesn’t matter if it’s Bordeaux, Zinfandel, or Australian reds. Finally, let food help you. If you’re making a spicy chicken dish, take that recipe with you. Find the clerk in the store who knows the most about food and ask for recommendations. You’ll be in for a really great bottle. Wine shops are truly a lot of fun. So go out there and enjoy them.