In celebration of National Drink Wine Day on February 18, you may want to indulge in a glass or two, but choosing the right wine can be difficult. After all, there are so many options available.
To make things simple, The Dallas Express is sharing some tips on discovering the ideal wines for your palate, selecting wine for special gatherings, and determining which wines will work with your meal.
Your goal should be to choose a wine that makes your taste buds jump for joy. The first rule is a basic one for newbies to wine drinking: start sweet, and work your way up.
A study conducted by Master and Professor of Wine Liz Thach at Sonoma State University looked at how wine drinkers’ tastes changed over time. The study found that most people initially enjoy a sweet or rosé wine. New wine drinkers might want to start with semi-sweet or sweet white wines or rosé.
Another way to determine your wine preference is to reflect on other flavors you enjoy. According to Marketview Liquor, you should ask yourself if you prefer grapefruit juice or apple juice. Apple juice lovers generally prefer a sweet white wine like Moscato, while grapefruit juice drinkers often prefer dry white wine, like Chardonnay.
What type of coffee do you like? Black or latte? Black coffee drinkers will lean more toward Old World wines or wines from a region where wine was made initially, such as France, Italy, or Spain. If lattes are your thing, you might go for New World wine such as those from the United States, Australia, or South Africa.
When bringing wine to a dinner party, it is best to pick up both a red and a white option. If you are not sure which types of wine the dinner guests prefer, opt for wines in the middle of the spectrum when it comes to sweetness, acidity, and body.
Studying the label can tell you a lot about what is inside the bottle. Most wine labels will identify the sweetness and the percentage of alcohol by volume it contains. A wine’s sweetness pertains to the amount of sugar it contains, ranging from sweet to semi-sweet to dry, which means the wine has no sugar.
Michael Bray of Atlantic City Weekly explains that yeast converts natural grape sugars into alcohol during the wine-making process. The higher alcohol by volume (ABV) in a wine, the drier it will be, as more sugar has been converted into alcohol, while a lower ABV makes for a sweeter taste because more sugar remains in the wine.
An ABV percentage of twelve or higher will be dry, while an ABV percentage of eleven or lower tends to be a bit sweeter. Wines high in acidity will be more tart, while those less acidic will be richer.
When selecting a wine for a meal, the rule of thumb is generally to pair white wines with lighter dishes, such as chicken or fish, and red wines with beef or lamb dishes. If you are mixing the wine in a cocktail or for sangria, the notes of the wine will not matter as much, so you can opt for a cheaper bottle. (Don’t worry, we won’t tell.)
Besides, unlike many products, where price is often said to correlate with quality, that is not always the case with wine. Picking wine is all about the flavors and characteristics you enjoy rather than the occasion or the price of the bottle.
