The Best of GRReporter
flag_bg flag_gr flag_gb

Let's dethrone five popular theories about wine

22 September 2012 / 13:09:20  GRReporter
3729 reads

Red wine goes with meat and white wine with fish - true.

This is a relatively old rule, which, however, has changed over the years. The basic theory here is based on the fact that red wine, with its acids and tannins, matches meat which is rich, fatty and juicy in taste. On the other hand, white wines are better combined with lighter dishes. Nevertheless, one thing that has changed much over the years is food and its flavours.

There are so many influences and mixes in today's cuisine, that it is preferable to combine a wine with the type of dish you cook, not with what is on the plate. This does not mean that red wine does not combine well with meat and white wine with fish, but as a rule it is relatively old. Now the rule is that each dish goes well with the wine you enjoy the most. There are examples of white wines that perfectly complement red meat as well as of red wines which match fish respectively. If you experiment you will find new combinations of flavours.

Wine is served at room temperature - wrong.

This is a rule dating back to many years ago, when there was no central heating. Room temperature in the past was almost the same as that in the basement, with high humidity and low degrees. Today, things have changed a lot. Room temperature, at best, is between 20 and 23 degrees Celsius and sometimes even more.

At high temperatures red wine loses its balance and its taste alters. The taste of alcohol becomes stronger and its tannins are highlighted, and it gradually loses the initial intensity of its acids. If you want to enjoy a better taste, serve wine cool. This, of course, is not a very clear rule. There are many people who stick to a certain temperature for each wine and for each specific glass. A simple and easy rule is that of the 15 minutes. Remove white wine from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving and put red wines in the fridge for the same period of time . It seems relatively imprecise and general, but all general rules are like that.

Sweet wines match desserts - almost true

You are almost ready to serve the dessert. Samos wine with chocolate cake, right? This is offered by specialists, but not all of us find it the best choice. Probably some combinations of this kind are delicious, but there are many people who would prefer to combine their dessert wine with a little foie gras or greasy cold cuts. The opposition of sweet and salty is especially appreciated, more than complementary flavours. But have you ever thought that the additional sugar from the sweet wine will be a bit more after the dessert's sugar?

Of course, there are exceptions. A bitter chocolate dessert goes wonderfully well with sweet wines.

Merlot is fine - wrong

Summaries for specific grape varieties, many of which were sufficiently reliable, are useless today. Advances in winemaking have a very important role in the final taste of the wine.

Of course, there are wines that meet the stereotypes, but they are becoming fewer and fewer. Let's be more careful with generalizations. In addition to trying, ask and read as much as you can about wine. You will be pleasantly surprised by the many types and labels, which until now have been ignored because of longstanding stereotypes.

Wine critics are always right - wrong

Wine critics, when tasting different brands, can convey two things only: how good the wine is based on the taste which the wine should have, and how much they liked the wine they have tasted. These two things are related, but not useful to anyone.

Wine knowledge is too personal and subjective. In order to seem useful, critics try to convey a general idea of what to expect from a wine, but also some of their preferences as well. Not everyone has the same taste and the personal point of view is obvious and plays an important role, as in any type of criticism. However, it is possible to find a critic whose taste matches yours. It is better to learn to trust your personal criteria and preferences, and to abandon stereotypes and generalizations.

Tags: wine stereotypes
SUPPORT US!
GRReporter’s content is brought to you for free 7 days a week by a team of highly professional journalists, translators, photographers, operators, software developers, designers. If you like and follow our work, consider whether you could support us financially with an amount at your choice.
Subscription
You can support us only once as well.
blog comments powered by Disqus