 December 15th, 2011
05:00 PM ET
5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. A wine is a terrible thing to waste. And with a little know-how from Jordan Salcito, the wine director of Crown Restaurant in New York City and creator of Bellus Wines, you too can learn to read between the lines - and vines - to get the most out of every pop of the cork. Five Questions to Demystify Wine: Jordan Salcito Some people tend to like acidity in wines, and food, more than others. For those people, Riesling is a staple. For others, who prefer a luxurious richness and viscosity, a grape from the Rhône Valley, such as Viognier (if you want something floral and aromatic) or Grenache Blanc (if you want something more neutral, like red apple and Meyer lemon), will likely be more pleasing." 2. Different wines tend to be given different quality rankings. How does one assess this? Can a novice discern this? Another hallmark of a great wine is balance. When you taste a wine, it should be harmonious - that is, no one element should stick out. For example, a wine should not taste like booze! (If it does, the alcohol is probably too high, and the wine isn’t balanced). Another indicator of quality is complexity. When you stick your nose into a glass, how many aromas can you smell? If all you smell is fruit, and alcohol, the wine is probably not very dimensional. Finally, pay attention to the length of the wine. That is, after you’ve take a sip, how long do the flavors linger on your palate? An inexpensive wine will disappear quickly, whereas one of higher quality will stick around and continue to develop long after that sip has disappeared." 3. What is the point of blind tasting? How does someone get good at it? If you want to become a great blind taster, I highly recommend joining a tasting group (in which those involved possess abilities and experience greater than yours)." 4. What are good rules of thumb when creating wine pairings? Another rule of thumb: match textures. If you are eating a grilled ribeye, you’ll likely want something as dense and chewy to drink along with it. Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot, and even some Syrahs are perfect with beef, because they have a great backbone of tannins." 5. What is the most misunderstood grape? Chardonnay from Chablis tastes, to me, of lemon, green apples, chalk, salt water and occasionally Parmesan cheese rind. It has a higher acidity and more freshness than wines made from Chardonnay even just south, in famous villages of the Côte d’Or. These wines are especially different from most California Chardonnays, which are made from ripe fruit and often aged in a lot of new oak, lending vanilla, pineapple upside-down cake and baking spice overtones to the wine." Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
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hi eatocracy.cnn.com-ers merry xmas to you all – matt
Anyone who even thinks this much about wine is definitely an alcoholic. Just sayin.
im no wine expert and thank you for the wine advice try till you find one you like
Why is vomiting up wine worse than beer or liquor?
This is the only real wine advise you should know:
You like what you like. Don't let some nerd tell you what's "good". If it brings you pleasure, who cares what some tart sneering down her nose at you thinks.
It depends on what she looks like...
Is a high price on a bottle a guarantee that the wine is of exceptional quality?
Not necessarily. Marketing manipulation, media hype, pompous ratings and catchy labels are to blame for inflated costs. Instead, set an acceptable range between $8-15 dollars per bottle and give them a whirl. It helps to do a bit of research about the vineyard prior to purchase. Education goes a long way and helps the consumer develop knowledge about particular brands and their product. Expand it by trying different varietals, it's fun and enjoyable to know something about that particular wine before you pop the cork, but don't let it entirely influence your palate, which at the end, is the ultimate judge.
I have found that many wines can be very good, even at $6-10 dollars. One would definitely hope that by paying a higher price the wine will at least not be spoiled or of a cheap variety grape. Still no guarantee the taste will appeal to everyone.
I recently returned from a visit to Chile where I discovered a wine I had never heard of before: Carmenere. I was told the story of it's origination in France and Spain, and it's introduction to Chile and then, following a vine disease issue in Europe it's apparent disappearance worldwide. Later it was rediscovered by a sommelier in the south of Chile who was told the grapes in question were 'merlot'. For all the excitement that this caused there, I'm surprised not to have heard, not to mention tasted, more of this wine in the United States. It is, by my estimation, an excellent wine which, if I can find it here, may overtake Merlot and Pinot Noir as my favorite.
I don't think I've seen it as a varietal in the US, but you will find it in many cab and merlot blends from chile. It sounds interesting.
Yes, having lived in Peru the Concha y Toro Carmeniere was very popular from Chile. It was priced at about $9 USD there and it is also available here in the US at most major grocery stores in addition to wine shops. I do enjoy the taste of this wine.
I've seen Carmanere in the US and I've had it several times so you should be able to find it fairly easily if you know where to look. Never been to Chile though I hope to get there relatively soon, so I definitely learned about it in the US. It is very nice.
Are you allowed to drink openly on public transportation in the US (as in the picture)?
You can in Vegas.
It depends on the state. In Oregon, having a glass while waiting for a subway is... well, impossible since we have no subways. Trimet, public transit in Portland, prohibits alcohol on its facilities, but that is a Trimet rule, not a state law.
lol, the pic is the best part of the article. any time i pony up a glass of adult beverage while waiting for the local transport i raise the interest of any similarly dressed civic employees who think i need serving and protecting. i don't want to paint the corner of morals where a drink and its location is good or bad. i just want to note that there doesn't seem to be anyone objecting to a person having a sip while passing the time.
Looks to me the pic was taken in London... look at the shape of the train / tunnel and the single track platform
Laughing.....sharp eyes! That's very funny. Maybe she'd best not drink too deeply or she might fall in front of the train!
When is it proper to sniff the cork?
Never, unless you are a cork grower from Spain or Portugal.
What you want to do is inspect the cork for:
1) Make sure the logo on the cork matches the bottle you have requested.
2) Look for signs that the wine has spoiled "corked". Corks that are cracked or have signs of mold may indicate a corked wine. Smelling the wine will often tell you this for sure. Corked wines smell like wet newspaper or dirty socks.
When I buy the Good stuff, $ 2.98 plus tax....I always schniff the twist on cap.
Before taking that first sip, sniff the cork. If it smells like wet cardboard, you've probably got a bad bottle on your hands.
But, before you sniff, feel. The cork should be pliable and moist. If it's dry or stiff, you may have a bad bottle.
But, before you feel, listen. If the cork makes a dry scretch as it's removed from the bottle, they you may have a bad bottle.
Keep in mind that the purpose of smelling the cork is just as a first-check for a bad bottle. In a restaurant, the server should smell the cork for you and if he thinks there's a chance of a bad bottle, he should take the first small sip himself to avoid possibly presenting you with bad wine. You really can't tell that much about the wine from smelling the cork, just get that first-warning of a possible bad bottle.
As for general preferences, there certainly can be some. While my experience of them is limited, I have yet to have a Cabernet Franc that I've liked; they all seem to have a raw, green bell peper note that I really dislike.
But, many general perferences come just from not having had the wine paired properly. I've had many people tell me, "I don't like sweet wines." But, then when the desert is served with a late-harvest Riesling, they rave about much better the chocolate torte is with the wine and how much they love the wine.
I have learned to be very careful about making blanket, "I don't like (insert type of wine here)" declarations. I even still try the odd Cab Franc now and then just in case.
Are there any categorically-wrong pairings? Yes. A late-havest Riesling served with a Ceasar salad would be just wrong, for example. But that's an extreme case and anyone who is acquainted at all with that wine and that food will intuitive know that they're wrong for each other.