A Beginners Guide to Choosing Wine
It Is Your Choice
I enjoy a glass or two of wine when we are sitting back and relaxing. Also wine goes well with a meal. Some say that your choice of wine will match your main dish, for example, chicken or fish call for a white wine while a roast or steak demands a red.
However, you may want to rethink that, while as a general rule it may provide a good starting point for your wine choice, consider the sauce you may be using.
If you are serving BBQ chicken for example, you may prefer a red wine. Balance is the key to choosing the wine to accompany and enhance the meal. You do not want the wine to overpower the food, nor the food to overpower the wine.
You will also want to give thought to the sugar content of the wine and what dessert you will be having. The sweet dessert calls for a sweet wine.
Being a light drinker, I do not have wine often, usually if it is with a meal, it will be a special occasion, such as an anniversary or birthday or when we have one of our rare dinner parties.
When it comes to having a few drinks with friends, wine is frequently my drink of choice and I tend to order or bring a dry red wine. It is not simply that I prefer a red wine such as a Pinot Noir or Merlot.
Over the years I have tried a number of wines, both red and white, and while I do enjoy a properly chilled white wine such as a Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, my choice in wines is influenced by the setting.
By this I mean, at home I will, now and then have a glass or two of a white, just because I like to have some variety in my choices. However, at a public event, say a wine and cheese, I will usually have a red.
Why, well simply put, the white may be slightly warm and the taste is not quite right but the red, while, often enhanced by a slight chilling 10-15 minutes, will be more enjoyable warm than the white.
In a good restaurant, it is usually a safe bet to select either white or read depending upon your meal. If in doubt about what wine to order when dining out, do not be afraid to ask, as asking questions is one way we learn.
On the other hand do not be intimidated, it is your dining and drinking experience so order or buy what you enjoy.
