Posted on February 9, 2009 - by Amanda

Wine Basics

The wine experience, like the literary experience, is one that rewards simple effort with simple pleasure and one that rewards increased effort with exponentially greater pleasures.

Most women are content to sip a glass of very sweet white or (horrors!) pink wine. Wine appeals to them as a cocktail is appealing; an easy vehicle for a bit of alcohol. But it is a pity to squander a life without enjoying the deep beauties of a solid Burgundian red or a rich California Cabernet.

Why Bother?

Wine offers more than almost any other beverage a world unto itself. A world of gastronomic delight, a world of learning. Appreciating wine stimulates the mind, and adds depth and richness to everyday life. Drunk in moderation, wine also offers mild health benefits. The natural chemical makeup of wine means that it is a perfect accompaniment to many, even most, foods. It is also arguably the most social beverage. Not only does it offer all the ordinary social benefits of an alcoholic beverage, it can be the center of the social experience by the power of its own personality (try that cocktails!).

Avoiding the snob factor.

Wine is meant to be drunk. Appreciating the dedication that goes into making it, being grateful for its beauties does NOT necessitate knowing everything about wine. Much wine knowledge is esoteric, much is more myth than fact and much is simply unnecessary. Anyone who tries to make themselves feel superior by having one more fact or a better pronunciation down should be excluded from your social circle on the basis that they are very unpleasant people. Learn all you can but learn it to increase your enjoyment not to better your reputation.

What kinds?

We will be doing a couple of follow-up articles about the different types of wines but here we would just like to mention that one of the reasons wine can seem so confusing is because the experts are still fighting about what means what. In Europe they tend to classify wines by where they are grown and in the New World by what kind of grapes are in them. The terms for this, reading left to right, are “Appellation” and “Varietal”. Now don’t let some esoteric argument about how to label a bottle intimidate you out of even trying to learn. It is not that hard and is well worth it.

How to start.

Just go get a bottle. Your local wine shop will be more than thrilled to recommend a bottle. More than thrilled. They will fall all over themselves to help you learn. They want to sell wine and if they can make you an enthusiast…then they can sell more wine.* Just go in, tell them you are a novice, tell them how much you can afford to spend today, tell them if you prefer red or white (or if you don’t care) and tell them what you are making for dinner. They will suggest a bottle that is likely to pair well with what you are making. If someone treats you poorly (bad customer service happens) don’t blame wine; their boy/girlfriend may well have broken up with them this morning or they may have just fallen into foreclosure or something equally hideous. One never knows what is behind that grumpy demeanor.

Now go home with it and as you finish cooking dinner open the bottle. There are many complex and bulky corkscrews on the market but you shouldn’t have any trouble with the basic waiter’s corkscrew that looks like this.

Use the little blade to cut around the foil at the top of the bottle and peel it off. Insert the tip of the corkscrew into the middle of the cork, twist it in trying not to go too deep and then use the little lever thingy to pull the cork out. It works like a charm. If you feel awkward getting it open ask us about the time we opened a bottle with a literal screw and a pair of pliers. We have pictures.

Pour your self a small portion and taste the wine. Taste it before you eat, enjoy it while you eat and finish up after you finish eating. The wine will take on many different flavors, will seem to change as the meal progresses and should provide plenty of discussion material between you and your dining companions (you weren’t planning on eating alone were you?).

Do this a few hundred times, checking back to read our forthcoming more detailed articles, and you will be well on your way to understanding and appreciation the myriad blessings of wine.

Cheers!

*In Boise where The Complete Woman has her offices the Co-op is hands-down the best wine shop. Selection and expertise are unmatched. There are many other wine shops around town and we have heard nothing but GOOD about any of them.