This Wine 101 Series of Charts Will Have You Looking Like An Expert [INFOGRAPHIC]
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner or you may have gotten a great bottle as a gift recently. Either way, it’s probably time to hone up on your wine skills. Thankfully, the good folks at Ship It Appliances have got you covered. These handy infographics will outline which food matches with which wine, which glass to use, and will even state why you should have your reds in a fridge.
Choosing the right wine is easier if you’re pairing it with food. Very dry white wines match well with fish and white meat as do rose wines. Sweet white wines and dessert wines match with many cheeses and dessert. A light red wine should be matched with cheese or white meat, while full-bodied reds should generally be paired with red meats.
As for glasses, most people aren’t that picky, but you want to serve wine properly. Reds should be served in a glass with a large bowl so the aromas can be released, while whites, a glass with a smaller bowl, to trap the aromas.
So, how should you hold a wine glass? You don’t want your white to get too warm or vice versa. The best way to hold a wine glass is by the stem. If you hold it by the bowl, your hand will warm the wine.
Wine, like good whiskey, shouldn’t be filled to the brim. White wines should be poured halfway, a glass of sparkling wine should be three quarters full, and a glass of red wine, just a third full.
As a general rule, white wines are served chilled and red wines at room temperature. For sweet and sparkling wines, you should be served much cooler than full-bodied whites. The idea that red wines should be served at room temperature came about before central heating, so that the average home was likely much cooler then than it is today. If you want to ensure your wines are always served at the ideal temperature, it’s well worth investing in a wine cooler.
Finally, both red and white wines vary in sweetness, from the bone dry to the super sweet. Here’s a chart to determine the sweetness of wine.
