Bust Them Wine Myths
The only thing worse than suffering bad wine is not enjoying the good ones simply because you’ve bought into a clutch of wine myths that have no place in reality. So let’s get down to busting this litany of silly myths with a glass or two of good ferment.
Screwcap Ain’t Cheap …
Now while the screwcap did start off facing the perception of being cork’s cheaper substitute, it’s currency has risen considerably in the new world, especially Australia and New Zealand. Other countries, even in Europe have caught on, given the screwcap’s spotless track record compared to cork that does still spoil some wine. So please don’t be surprised to see premium new world wine closes under screw cap that in fact taste simply sublime.
Red Wine At Room Temperature. No Way.
Now while this myth was an acceptable fact until 20th century Europe when even the summers were relatively cool, today this notion is plain loony. Red wine has to be served at between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius which can only be achieved in the depth of winter or very good air conditioners. When in India, chill all your wines so you don’t warm, undrinkable tipple.
Tulip Glasses Aren’t The Norm No More
While the tulip glass has been the mainstay choice for drinking all sparkling wine and has smartly evolved, please feel free to go with a white wine glass if you like. It isn’t unusual for connoisseurs to savour vintage Champagnes and Cavas in Sauvignon Blanc glasses, that give the wine more surface contact to breathe and release delicate flavours. So by all means, go for it.
Adding Ice To Wine Will Never Be Fine…
Doesn’t matter if it’s 40 degrees out there and if everyone else around you is dunking frozen squares into their glasses. Hold on to your glass and resist. Yes, drinking warm wine isn’t pleasant and does inhibit its flavours and dial down the pleasure but ice does much worse, diluting and effectively changing the wine’s taste irreversibly. Doing things right at the start as in chilling the wine down considerably to compensate for the prevailing heat before opening it will avoid forcing this destructive choice.
Red wine red meat, white wine, well…
Rules are rules and are there for a reason but the modern wine universe has virtually no rules and the turn of the 20th century has witnessed the emergence of new wine styles and new audiences. So it naturally follows that the old food and wine pairing adage that red wine only pairs with red meats and white wines with seafood isn’t anymore relevant. While some traditionally inclined sommeliers use this approach as a rule of thumb, there are plenty of refreshing examples of red wines working with seafood and white wines elevating lamb shanks and steak meals. So settle on your favourites, follow your palate and make your own vinous pairing for dinner tonight.
Of course you can store wines in a fridge…
No you can’t, not for the long term at least. There’s nothing more heart renting than seeing a bottle of white Burdundy sitting up in a fridge and its proud owner claiming its been sitting there for months, aging gracefully. No it hasn’t. It’s probably off already and maybe good for cooking. The fridge is meant only to cool wines for the evening or a few days at best, especially red wines under cork. The lack of humidity inside a fridge shrivels the cork and lets in oxygen which effectively destroys the wine. Wines under screwcap aren’t safe either because the constant opening of the fridge makes the wine suffer wild temperature swings and shifting of items disturbs the wine – both factors are detrimental. So please do invest in a wine cooler because it has a good purpose and you deserve to drink wines at their very best.
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