Two words about wine

I love wine but I am afraid I can not help you with more than two words on this matter. I am not a wine connoisseur, so all I can do is to share a few tips from my own (very limited) personal experience.

I am sure you have been through one of these situations at least once in your life:

• You have been invited to a dinner party and you want to buy a bottle of wine as a gift;
• You are hosting a dinner party and you have to match wine and food;
• You have invited someone to a fancy restaurant and you want to choose a nice wine;

For most people, choosing wine is a complicate task. You may feel confused and embarrassed if you don’t know how to do it properly. My humble advice is: You don’t have to know everything about wine, this is a specialty. The thing you certainly should do is to pay attention at a few guidelines that can help you.

Another option is asking professional advice. Look, if you are in a restaurant, don’t be afraid to ask questions. You can talk to the waiter or in finer restaurants you will have a sommelier at your disposal. Don’t be shy, ask for suggestions.

If you are going to buy a nice bottle for a friend, you can talk to people at the wine store. They can give precious tips if you give some information about who are going to drink this wine and when.

But talking about that, let’s imagine this situation: You are invited to a dinner party and you don’t know the menu. It can be tricky to get it right, but everytime that happens to me, I do buy a bottle of champagne (If I can afford it, of course..) because you can not go wrong with it. It does not matter the menu, you can always drink champagne as an aperitif. Another option – more wallet-friendly – is to buy Prosecco. It’s sparkling, refreshing, everybody will love it. But don’t be fooled, people who drink champagne know the difference. It’s nice and it’s absolutely acceptable, but it’s not champagne.

Traditionally, most people tend to associate white wines with fish and chicken and some pork, and reds with beef, game and tomato-based pasta sauces. Actually, this is a good start, but with a little bit more of experience will know that sometimes you can break this rule.

In my opinion, first thing to do about pairing wine and food is to use common sense. My golden rule: You should think of who will drink it, where, when and with what kind of food. As I told before, I am not a wine specialist, but I would like to share a few personal tips on this matter:

• Try to pair light wines with ligher foods and full-bodied wine with bolder foods;
• If you are searching wine for spicy foods, try a sweeter wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling;
• If seafood is on the menu try Gewürztraminer. Last summer I have been to some wineries in Alsace, France, where they produce it. It’s absolutely delicious. My first choice for oysters or any seafood.
• Just for sipping with some aperitif: I would go for a Pinot Noir;
• Try to taste different grape varietals: Cabernet, Merlot, Malbec, Muscat, Zinfandel, Shiraz etc. But don’t be afraid of tasting varietal blends as well;
• Red wines usually improve with a bit of aging, but most sparkling and white wines don’t need aging and can be ruined if you let them in your wine cellar for years.
• Are you looking for something casual? Go for a Malbec if your menu includes pizza or barbecue.
• For creamy foods with lots of herbs and seasoning, go for a Chardonnay.

What you have to keep in my mind is that tasting wine should be fun. Not a stressful social duty. Don’t be afraid of tasting different wines from different parts of the world. When I lived in São Paulo I used to drink quite often Chilean wines. They are good quality wines and affordable as well.

In France, I felt more comfortable trying national ones and as I told before, I even had the opportunity to visit a few wineries. The good thing about France is that drinking wine is a cultural habit so we can easily get spoiled by the excellent quality and variety.

Here in Ireland, I have been introduced to the New World wines. I have been drinking wines from California, Australia and South Africa. This is a whole new experience for me, but I am really embracing it. Personally, tasting wine is always a moment of pleasure. It’s healthy (as long as you don’t over-indulge) and it’s a good way to spend time with people you enjoy.