| There is much more to drinking wine than just | | | | overwhelm the subtle, elusive fragrance of the |
| opening the bottle and quaffing off its contents. In | | | | wine itself. |
| fact, if you drink wine out of the bottle you run | | | | Secondly, pick your glass according to your wine. |
| the chances of being called crazy, alcoholic or a | | | | Standard-issue wineglasses usually have a |
| complete insult to oenology. How, then, is wine | | | | 150-200mL capacity, but should not be filled to |
| supposed to be drunk? | | | | more than half their volume capacity. A good |
| The art of drinking wine lies in subtlety and | | | | wineglass should feel stable in your hands even |
| accuracy. Wine is a complex mixture of colors, | | | | when it is full of liquid, while an inferior build will |
| fragrances and flavors that needs to be matched | | | | tend to topple over due to the heavy top. Some |
| with the right occasion, food and tableware. | | | | wineglasses look like bowls mounted on stems, |
| Unluckily for the beginner, there are no | | | | while others have the characteristic tulip shape. |
| hard-and-fast rules on any of these three | | | | The tulip shape is favored over the others |
| subjects, but a gross violation of established | | | | because it allows the fragrance of the wine to be |
| conventions will lead to many horrified glances | | | | concentrated and gently wafted over to the |
| from people who "know their wine". But luckily for | | | | nostrils. When you swirl your wine around in the |
| the beginner, the broad guidelines to these | | | | glass, it coats the inner surface and then |
| conventions are quite clear. | | | | evaporates, so that you can enjoy all notes of its |
| First of all, a wine should always be slightly | | | | complex fragrance. Since red wines have strong |
| sweeter and slightly fuller in the bouquet than the | | | | flavors, they are usually drunk in glasses with |
| food it is paired with. Pairing champagne with dark | | | | wide bowls. White wines are drunk in smaller, taller |
| chocolate, for instance, is a strict no-no. Common | | | | glasses, culminating in the champagne flute - |
| foods that are eaten with wines include meat, | | | | meant for the most delicate of white wines, so |
| cheese and occasionally chocolate. | | | | that their flavor gets concentrated in a very small |
| Typically, red wines are fuller-bodied and sweeter | | | | space. |
| than white wines, so these go better with slightly | | | | Everyone has to begin some time, and wine |
| aged cheeses and red meat. The sweeter red | | | | connoisseurs can be very forthcoming if they see |
| wines are also referred to as "dessert wines", and | | | | a discerning beginner. So don't hesitate to pick up |
| these can be eaten with dark chocolate. White | | | | a young red wine the next time you're in a wine |
| wines, on the other hand, go well with delicately | | | | shop, and begin your journey to wine nirvana! |
| prepared poultry and soft cheeses, which will not | | | | |