The best advice I’ve received about wine is, “drink what you like!” Wine is my true jam, the cocktail making happened while we were sheltering in place! I get a ton of questions about wine from my friends and family so I thought I would share and answer a few here! If you all enjoy this we can keep it going 🙂
Q: How can you identify a “good wine”?
Smell – the more you smell the better the taste (think flavors like berries, chocolate etc.)
Taste- take a small sip and use your tongue to taste the wine. Do the flavors linger? Does it have depth (more than one flavor)? Does it taste good to you??
The year- you can do your homework on the type of wine you like and see if it was a good year for that type of grape
The location- I have tried a lot of wine and never met a wine from South Africa or New Zealand that I didn’t like! Once I figured that out, that’s what I looked for on the bottle/menu. The location (climate, type of grapes they can grow, etc. impacts the taste).
TIP: Get 3-5 of the same type of wine (Pinot Noir) from different regions and compare them. This will help you pull out the differences and start developing what tastes good to you!
Q: How long before wine expires?
3-5 days if corked and stored in a dark cool place (sweeter wine usually last a little longer). Wine goes bad when oxygen is introduced to the wine (oxidation).
Q: How long should wine be aged before drinking?
“Only 1% of all wine produced in the world is meant to be aged.” So 99% of wines won’t benefit from being aged at all. You won’t gain anything by waiting so drink the damn wine 🍷
Q: What type of wine has the lowest calories and added sugars?
White wine usually has a lower calorie count than red. It’s less than 50 calories so like I said before, drink what you like.
The only sugar in most wines is the natural sugar from the grapes, which is mostly turned to alcohol during the fermentation process. It’s rare to find a wine with full nutritional information but the dryer the wine the less residual sugar it has.
Q: What are sulfites in wine are are they safe?
Sulfites are sulfur compounds that are produced naturally during the fermentation process. This prevents the oxidation I mentioned above. Sulfites are only harmful in wine if you have a sulfur intolerance (only about 1% of the population) and the amounts in wine are highly regulated. Unless you have severe asthma or a sulfur intolerance, it’s generally not harmful.
What else do you all want to know about wine? Let me know in the comments here or on social!
XOXO, Laya
Do you know what is meant when they say, “this wine has a good set of legs?” lol
Yes lol they are talking about the streaks of wine inside the glass. Some people say you can tell the sweetness and alcohol contact based on them.