How to impress with a bottle of wine
by Hannah Terry
http://www.cookingflair.com
When we're going somewhere it's easy to grab a bottle of
wine off the shelf, but wouldn't it be nicer to be able to
give the matter some thought and have a label specially
designed for the special occasion, whether it's a birthday,
wedding, or just a 'thank you'? There are many companies
now who offer this facility and you will find that you'll
be able to send your own message as well as write the names
of the people to whom it is intended.
Next time you're wondering which wine to buy, it's worth
remembering that nowadays most wines are best drunk young.
We now prefer the light-bodied wines rather than the heavy
ones that were so popular a few years ago and they are
really best consumed within three years of harvest (for
white) and five years (for red).
Keep your store of wines away from the light and the heat.
It's not necessary to keep the bottles on their sides as
they'll be fine standing upright for up to a year.
If you're travelling with wine, it's best to keep it
standing and keep it in the coolest place in the car.
Certainly leaving bottles in a boiling hot sun in the
middle of summer for hours on end won't do the wine any
good at all. When you do arrive, allow the wine to return
to room temperature before it's laid back down on its side.
In the Middle Ages it was discovered that sulphur dioxide
could be used as a preservative. This is still used in very
cheap wines and can cause headaches and severe reactions
for people who may suffer from certain ailments such as
asthma.
For wines that have sediment, it is recommended that they
are decanted. To do this correctly you should first agitate
the bottle to loosen the sediment clinging to the sides.
Then place the bottle upright to rest until all the
sediment has settled to the bottom. This could take
anything from half an hour to several days, but you may
want to leave up to a couple of weeks to ensure that no
sediment goes into the decanter. When you remove the cork
be careful not to tilt the bottle. Stand in front of a
light or a window so that you can look through the wine to
the light. Lift your carafe to the neck of the bottle and
tilt the bottle. Pour the wine slowly without stopping
until you see the sediment reach the neck of the bottle.
And the last question? Is it best to use a corkpuller (a
handle with two prongs) or a cork screw? The corkpuller
will fit into your pocket and is considered the best by
most professionals as it's much quicker, but the technique
does need a lot of practice. If, however, the cork is not
tight or is plastic, a corkscrew will do a better job for
you as the pressure of the prongs with a corkpuller can
easily push the cork into the bottle. Whatever you use,
however, the important thing is that you concentrate
carefully and if the cork starts to move you change to a
corkscrew.
Enjoy!
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