Tips
DECANT IT!
A quick way to soften and aerate stiff young reds that are a bit tannic is to pour them into a carafe--with flourish if you can manage it so they'll mix with a lot of air and open up faster, allowing the aromas to open. You can either decant them back into the bottle (young reds won't have thrown sediment) or leave them in the new vessel and pour from there. It works great for young Cabernets, Syrahs, Zinfandels, though it's no substitute for aging with serious reds that need ten years or more to mature.
The primary reason to decant is with older red wines that have "thrown" sediment as they mature. Sediment, a dark gritty deposit formed of broken down color pigments, tannins and other natural compounds, is actually a good sign—it means the wine wasn’t overfiltered or manipulated. Any red that is 10 years or older may have sediment. Vintage Port definitely will! I have a couple of nice decanters that I use often for older wines in my cellar.
The day before you plan to serve the wine, stand it upright so the sediments can sink to the bottom of the bottle. Shortly before serving—30 minutes or so—carefully uncork the wine trying not to disturb the sediment. Using a lighted candle or a flashlight as light source, pour the wine into a decanter or carafe with the light source under the neck of the bottle. Pour in one continuous stream until you see the dark line of sediment move into the neck of the bottle; stop pouring immediately.
Swish the wine around in the decanter to aerate it further, and again before serving. It’s a delight to see how the wine changes in your glass as nuances of aroma and flavor emerge. Santé
WINE LIST TIPS
Wine lists: I’ve noticed here and there that some include wine ratings in their brief descriptions—the notion being, one supposes, that this offers a clue to quality. Maybe. But it’s not always a good guide for choosing wine with your steak.
A Cabernet or Bordeaux with the exalted rating of 95—often very pricey—is seldom ready to drink. It’s young, loaded with tannin vying with ripe fruit and a dose of new oak. Your first sip may be impressive in its thrust of fruit, but after that the muscle takes over—tannin, alcohol and oak assert themselves and hammer the palate like a sledge, overwhelming the food.
It will take time for all those components to meld together in harmony.
A better bet: a less expensive Cabernet might be more supple and pleasurable to drink. Or see the Best Buys page on this site.
Alternatively, chat with the sommelier or wine server about how drinkable the wine is at the moment, and ask if there are other reds she or he would recommend.
CHILL IT!
Many light red wines, such as Beaujolais, Bardolino, and lighter Pinot Noirs are often more appealing served on the cool side--especially in the scorch of summer. I also cool down the lighter red Zinfandels and inexpensive Merlots--as long as they're fruity and not tannic (chilled tannin tastes bitter). Thirty to forty-five or so minutes in the fridge will do it.
HANGOVER HELP
I haven’t had a hangover in decades, so I can’t remember what it felt like—just that it was bad enough I never wanted one again. A newly developed product, Forgiven, contains a “recovery shot” of nutrients and minerals to help metabolize alcohol. It comes in various flavors. So if you’ve imbibed in excess, check it out. It works.
The best remedy is prevention. Don’t over-do it, or at least do spacers over the course of the evening, meaning drink a lot of water—sparkling or still.
Check out this link for more hints: www.organicauthority.com.
“Reading about wine can be as delightful as drinking it—especially with a glass in hand!”
BOOKS FOR THE WINE LOVER
The World Atlas of Wine, by Hugh Johnson and Jancis Robinson. If there is a single wine book that illustrates the wide world of wine on Planet Earth, it is this one by Britain's most esteemed wine experts. No wine library should be without the latest revise, which provides a detailed and in-depth look at the most important wine regions and their leading vineyards, as well as exciting new frontiers around the globe--sometimes in surprising places. If you are a winelover, you will go to it again and again--an indispensable reference.
Thomas Jefferson on Wine, by John Hailman, a wonderfully readable book exploring Jefferson's passion for wine and attempts in winegrowing at Monticello. Jefferson would be proud of Virginia wines today.