Just because you have recently acquired an interest in wine does not mean that you cannot wine like the veterans. All you need is this wine guide that will teach you everything you need to know from how to hold a glass to white wine basics to red wine basics. Read on.
How to Hold a Wine Glass
Yes, there is a correct way to hold a wine glass.
🍷 There’s a reason why wine glasses have a bowl, stem, and base. And that’s to prevent the wine holder from heating up the wine using their hand, thereby changing its taste, texture, and aroma.
📌 Leaving fingerprint marks on the wine glass isn’t very elegant either.
To hold it properly;
- Avoid Holding it By the Bowl – Holding it by the bowl changes the temperature of the wine which affects the taste, texture, and aroma. It also leaves fingerprint marks on the wine glass.
- Instead, Hold it by the Stem or Base – This preserves the temperature at which the wine was served. It also makes you look elegant and more refined.
All about champagne and champagne glasses. Dining Etiquette: Champagne Basics
🥂The global reputation of champagne as a celebratory wine is due to its sparkling fizzy nature, and the pop 🍾 that comes with it (which comes from the pressurized carbon dioxide that makes it have bubbles).
Champagne is a sparkling wine, (fizzy due to amounts of carbon dioxide). Origin is the Champagne region of France. Common grapes used in production: Pinot noir, Pinot Meunier, and Chardonnay
In this post, I share the glasses used to drink champagne, even though you could use a typical white wine glass to enjoy the aroma and tastiness a lot more.
The bowl is long and slender. Due to its length and shape, it holds the wine bubbles longer.
The bowl is broad and shallow. Wine bubbles will disperse faster due to the surface area.
The difference from the flute is the wide flared mouth and body. It holds the bubbles and allows the drinker to enjoy the aromas too.
The flute is the most common champagne glass, the tulip is the best, and the coupe is rarely used, but is great for those who like their champagne a little flat. Do you like champagne? Which glass do you normally use when taking it?
Wine Guide: Red Wines
This post will cover red wine basics, glasses, and grape varieties. Just like the previous post on white wine, this is a great cheatsheet when it comes to red wine.
The red color is from the grape skin which is not removed during the fermentation process. Do not serve chilled, as that will hide the fruity taste and bring out the strong taste of oak and tannin. Red wines have tannins and pair well with red meat & foods high in protein. Lighter reds can be paired with white wine foods.
Red wine is best served cool,
Burgundy Red Wine Glasses – Has a much larger bowl, which narrows towards the rim. Ideal for light-bodied wines like Pinot Noir and Burgundy
Bordeaux Red Wine Glasses – The bowl is tall and slender and is almost the same size all through (not like a flute though). Great for full-bodied wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz
Red Wines You Should Know
Pinot Noir (PN)
Origin is the Burgundy region of France. Light PN great with roasted chicken, turkey, duck, pork, salmon, seafood, and pasta. Heavier PN great with mushrooms, cheese, beef, lamb stew
Cabernet Sauvignon
Origin is Bordeaux France. Full of tannin, and therefore is mostly dry. Great with red meat, stews, soy and garlic dishes, lamb, and blue cheese.
Merlot
Origin is Bordeaux, France. Great with foods high in protein like red meat, poultry, and pork. Also pairs well with dark chocolate.
Malbec
The majority of production is from Argentina, but the origin of the grape is Bordeaux France (Cot). Great with poultry and duck, beef and lamb, blue cheese, mozzarella, and mushrooms.
Shiraz/ Syrah
Origin is the Rhone Valley in France (Syrah), but also produced in Australia and South Africa (Shiraz). Grab a bottle of CĂ´tes-du-RhĂ´ne and pair it with red meats, stews, and hard cheeses.
What’s your favorite red wine?
Wine Guide: White Wine Glasses, Varieties and Details
This post covers white wine details, glasses, and varieties. It is a great cheat sheet especially if you can’t differentiate one white wine from another. I’ve also included some foods they can be paired with.
Grape skin is removed before the fermentation process. Have fewer antioxidants than red wine. Glasses are smaller than red wine glasses. Best served chilled. If hosting at home, remove it from the fridge a while earlier before serving. They can either be sweet or dry. Check the bottle for details.
Light-Bodied White Wine Glasses – Are the smallest in size, and they have a slender bowl/narrow shape to maintain the cool temperature at which white wine is served. Best for Reisling and Sauvignon Blanc
Full-Bodied White Wine Glasses – The bowl is larger than a light-bodied white wine glass but smaller than red wine glasses. The purpose of its shape is to collect aromas. Great for Chardonnay & White Rioja
White Wines You Should Know
White wines are best served chilled, and some great varieties are
Chardonnay
Origin is France. The flavor depends if it has been aged in oaks (great for lobster, shrimps, salads & salmon) or not (great for chicken, fish and shellfish, guacamole). Taste depends on where it is grown.
Riesling
Origin is German. Young Riesling is light, fruity, and peachy. Great for spicy and bitter foods and sushi. Old Riesling is dark; smells like honey or gasoline. Great for pork and food with lots of onions, and desserts.
Sauvignon Blanc
From Loire Valley and Bourdeaux France & New Zealand. Acidic; therefore great with artichokes, Brussel sprouts, herbs, asparagus, salads, vegetables, fish, and shellfish
Pinot Grigio/ Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris – French origin, better with Great with grilled fish, roasted potatoes, and pasta Pinot Grigio Italian origin- great for salads, shellfish, and seafood.
So there you have it, your ultimate wine guide. I now believe that you are ready to enjoy proper dining etiquette as you mingle and socialize!