Tips for Choosing a Good Wine
The scenarios are all too familiar.
You’re pacing at the corner bodega or casing the aisles of your local wine shop. The search is on for the perfect bottle of wine for the evening. The clock is ticking. But there are just too many choices. Exasperated, you finally decide on the bottle with the flashiest label, hoping for the best.
Or it’s date night. You’re famished, and you’re finally being seated for a nice, “fancy” dinner. The server hands you the wine list. You start to break a sweat when you see her return and you haven’t made a decision. But it’s go time...will it be sparkling, red, white, or rose? And what’s your price point, anyway? Here you go again...you close your eyes and randomly point to a mystery selection.
Are you thinking...there has got to be a better way to choose a fabulous wine? You’re not alone!
Relax, there is a method to end this madness. Yes, it is possible to choose a good wine without a panic attack.
Decide what you’re eating first
Many of us choose a wine based on our main course. We should actually be choosing a wine that goes with all of our courses. From appetizers to dessert and all bites in between, start with your menu selection. It may seem backwards to choose your food before your wine, but if you can swing it, this is a great strategy to minimize the guesswork.
Generally, wine should complement food in pairings, which works in your favor. This dynamic automatically reduces your wine choices, especially if the restaurant has a specialty dish (eg, a steakhouse) or you know what you or your host are serving.
Let’s revisit the general rule of thumb. If your entree comes from the sea, stick to a sparkling or white wine. If you’re having chicken or pork but are also sharing appetizers (ideally, in this, case, a warm side with cheese, avoiding strong citrusy or bitter flavors), go with a lighter red wine like a pinot noir, merlot, gamay or a sangiovese. For spicy or fat-rich, high protein dishes, opt for a medium or heavier red like a cabernet sauvignon or malbec.
If the meal plan is truly a wild card, start with a light wine to whet your appetite and progress to heavy.
Looking for more pairing suggestions? Click here. (link to other page)
To share or not to share
Enter the next dilemma...are you enjoying wine solo or sharing with the table? Sharing is a great way to trim cost and get more value for your buck, as wine by the glass is served at a premium. Especially if you’re planning on champagne, go with the bottle to share...you’ll avoid the disappointment of a potentially flat glass of bubbly at an exorbitant price! Since unconsumed open bottles are considered a loss for restaurants, there’s a fairly high probability of receiving an unfresh glass if ordering wine by the glass. Even though establishments claim they can preserve the evanescence through vacuum sealing, we all know it’s never the same as when the bottle is first opened.
When all else fails...ask for a recommendation
Any decent sommelier loves to lend their opinion on pairings. In most cases, they have created the wine list or a paired selection based on the restaurant’s offerings. No sommelier? No problem. Ask your server for a recommendation and follow up with qualifying questions to understand how familiar they are with the wine selection. If they seem to know their stuff, go with your gut and order their suggestion. If it turns out to be not quite right, in many cases, the restaurant will offer another offering on the house.
So there you go. Three steps to wine selection success!
Salut! Cheers!