Know Your Wines For Your Dinner party Red Wine  Dry – No taste of sweetness. Sturdier foods. Cheese. Steak, roast beef, barbecue, lamb, veal, game and dishes with strong seasonings. White Wine  From crisp, bone dryness to rich, luscious, honey-like sweetness. Ideal with fish or fowl. Cheese. Pork or ham, veal some soups (clear, creamed, vegetable or chicken) Rose. Wine  Possesses the briskness of red and the fruitiness of white. Can be very dry or have a touch of sweetness. These wines go extremely well with most any dish. Soups, Seafood dishes, fowl, pork, ham, some game. Sherry, Port, Madeira, Marsala, Kosher and Fruitful Wines  These vary from very dry through medium to very sweet. Drier wines can be served chilled or on-the-rocks. These wines are best enjoyed before the meal, in place of a cocktail or after the meal. Cocktail snacks, appetizers, some fruits or sweet desserts. Good for informal get togethers. Champagne and Sparkling wines.  Light and delicate. Vary in taste from very dry (Brut) through extra dry (medium sweet) to dry (sweet) Champagnes and sparkling wines are for grand occasions and are ideal right through the meal, or any time – with or without food. There are much more comprehensive lists and definitions out there. I only intend to give you a starting point. You will have enough information about wines in this section to get you through you first few (casual) dinner parties. The bottom line about selecting the right wine is this: forget the rules. Use common sense. Selecting the right wine to go with dinner is not rocket science. Selecting A Wine Start by choosing a wine that you would drink by itself. Why? The bottom line is that most likely, the majority of the wine you’ll be drinking will be without food anyway. You know – while you schmooze with the guests. Before and after dinner. If you enjoy the wine by itself, you won’t go too far wrong if you have it with dinner. In today’s wine world, you’re better off choosing a wine not by it’s color but by it’s size and weight. Light wines up to the more full-bodied flavorful wines. If you balance the wine with the food by choosing one that will seem about the same weight as the food, you raise the odds dramatically that the match will succeed. I’m sure some wine purists out there will have spinning heads over the previous statements, but as I’ve said earlier – these are just the very basics. We’re more concerned with the overall success of the dinner party than which wine to choose. In our resources section, I have provided links to some Wine web sites, which will be a big help explaining the subtleties of wine sizes and weights. The Language of Vino  You may or may not like wine – I for one prefer water to wine – but it can be an integral part of the dinner party. People sometimes go to great lengths to make sure the right wines are served. However, conveying how you feel about the wine is a language all it’s own. A language that at times can make you appear to be, well, a snob (ever watch Frazier?) I’ll attempt to clarify some of the terminology used to describe wine. If you feel foolish using some of the terminology look at it this way – it’ll help start a conversation that can be both fun and educational. Wine Country  There are some areas of the world that are well known for making good wine. Quality wine is made from grapes grown in relatively (and surprisingly) few places in the world. Here’s just a few: United States:  The best known wines typically come from California’s Napa Valley or Sonoma County. Oregon is also well known. France:  Best known for wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. (Ever heard of French wine?) Champagne is another popular choice.  Italy:  Let’s see, how about Chianti or Tuscany. These are excellent wines. Ever hear of Asti Spumanti? I thought so. Spain:  Cava is a good sparkling wine. They also make a very good Sherry and Rojas (red) wine. Australia:  Not as well known yet, but moving up fast. The only wine I am personally familiar with is their Shiraz. Grape Types  As I’m sure you know, different grapes make different wines. I’ll list some of the most common types: Merlot:  Makes a light, soft red wine. California and Chile make excellent versions. Pinot Noir:  Makes a full, rich red wine, a little softer than Cabernets. Typically, these grapes are used in Champagnes, sparkling wines and Burgundy. Cabernet Sauvignon:  Wine made from these grapes age well. Frequently blended with Merlot or Cabernet Franc grapes. This enables you to drink it "right now". Typically a rich, full bodied wine that goes with hearty foods. Bordeaux wines are usually made with these grapes. Zinfandel:  Made in the USA – California to be exact. A red wine with a full, strong flavor. It has a sort of "spicy" taste. There is also a White Zinfandel, which is sweeter. It’s also a Blush wine. Chardonnay:  These grapes typically elegant white wines. Excellent with many foods. California white and Burgundy white are most commonly made with these. Sauvignon Blanc:  Makes a nice crisp white wine. A nice "picnic" wine. White Bordeaux typically uses these grapes. Now, I know there are more than these, but I have found that these are the most common among the wines your average person drinks. The people I know, anyway. Now that we have a familiarity with wines, grapes and where many of the most popular wines come from, let’s go over some terms used when describing wines. Some Terminology  There’s literally tons of descriptive terms associated with wines. So I won’t bore you too badly. Here are a few of the more popular terms: Smell Aroma: Used commonly to describe relatively "young" wines. Grapelike smell. Bouquet: Describes the fragrance, usually in regard to more "mature", complex wine-smells. Heady: When you hear this, it usually denotes a wine with a high alcohol content. Nose: Commonly used to describe the amount of wine smell ie.: " . . . huge nose" to a wine. Woody: Describes the smell or taste of the actual wooden barrel where the wine was stored. A little wood in your wine is not a bad thing. This term usually means too much wood in the wine. Sour: Smell or taste that comes from partially spoiled wine. Most common cause of wine spoilage is improper storage. Fruity: Wine that smells or tastes like different fruits, like berries or citrus fruits. Usually has few tannins. Not always sweet. Musty: Synonym for corky. This can be caused by a bad cork, excessive moisture or a moldy wooden cask. Unpleasant. Taste Body: Broad term. Describes the wines "fullness", or how much flavor. Complex: Describes wine that has a number of characteristics. Good wines that age well are usually described as complex wines. Neutral: As the name implies, there’s really nothing special, good or bad, about the wine. Dry: Wine that is not particularly sweet. Buttery: Refers to both flavor and texture. How it feels in the mouth. Nutty: Typically describes wine that has been exposed to the air. This can be good unless there’s too much oxidation. It’ll take on the flavor of Sherry. Supple: Wine with well balanced tannins and fruit. Acrid: Wine with too much acidity. Cheap red wine (or good wino wine, depending on your viewpoint . . .) Flat: Not enough acidity. Boring. Uninteresting. Again, there are many more terms, but this will get you familiar with the more commonly used descriptions. With some practice, maybe you’ll even sound like an expert . . . A Couple of Dinner Party Hosting Tips