Wines?

So, I have recently become intrested in wine, as a glass a day is very healthy. I was wondering if anyone would like to share their preferences, or if anyone knows any good recipies that can be made with wine, if you could list the general price ranges, that would be nice also.

I am a huge lover of good wine. I’d be happy to make some recomendations but I have a few questions first. Do you gravitate to a fruity wine like a Riesling or something more oaky like a Chardonnay? When you drink reds do you tend to choose wines that are dry or do prefer one that is more fruity? If I can get an idea of what you’ve tried and liked it’ll help make it more likely you’ll enjoy my recomendations.

I posted the following in the Cooking Tips section of this site back in July. Glad to post it again here!

Wines

Wine can be divided into 5 basic classes: appetizer wines, white table wines, red table wines, sweet dessert wines and sparkling wines.

Serving Wine

Serve appetizer wines well chilled, either straight (undiluted) or over ice. All white wines should be served chilled. Depending o the type, red wines are served either cool or chilled or at room temperature. Most dessert wines may be served cool or chilled. Sparkling wines, often served for special occasions, are always served chilled and go well with any food at any occasion.

The best way to learn about wine is to experiment until you find the one you like best. Try a few of the wines in each of the five classes, and for first-time testing, buy wine in small bottles. Some wines complement certain foods more than others.

Wine With Food

Traditionally, white wines are served with white meats such as poultry, fish, and seafood; red wines accompany red meats and dishes with red or brown sauces; rosé and sparkling wines are served with any food. Sweet dessert wines are served with dessert, after dinner and as a between-meal refreshment.

However, let your own taste and personal preference be your guide. Just remember to serve light wines with light foods and heavier, full-bodied wines with fuller-flavored, richer foods. That way food and wine will complement, not over-power, each other.

Cooking With Wine

Easy to use, and inexpensive, wine will enhance your favorite recipes for soups, broiled fish and meat, roasts and stews. Special cooking wines are lightly salted, so that you cannot drink them. Make sure to use the type of cooking wine called for in the recipe, and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Experts recommend cooking with wine of a quality you would like to drink – use some in the recipe and serve more to enjoy as a beverage with the food. Here are a few suggestions about how to cook with wine.

To flavor soups, add a tablespoon of wine for each cup of liquid; try adding sherry to consommé, chicken, or vegetable soups; Burgundy or claret go well in minestrone.

Add a light Rhine wine to melted butter and pour over fish before baking or broiling, or poach seafood in cooking liquid laced with sherry.

A dash of sauterne will improve the flavor of gravy for roast poultry, while a dash of Burgundy or Chianti adds depth to a rich gravy for duckling or goose.

Red wines add that extra flavor to beef dishes, too (try it in your spaghetti sauce). Stir in Chianti or Zinfandel to gravy for roast beef or in stews, or add Chianti or Burgundy to barbecue sauce for serving with broiled beef steaks and hamburgers.

Wine Storage

If being stored for an extended period of time, bottles of wine should always be kept on their side to prevent the cork from drying out and shrinking, and altering the flavour of the wine.

Wine glasses should only be filled one-half to two-thirds full to ensure that the wine has room to breathe and release its full aroma.

A good quality wine glass should always be at least 10 ounces and have an edge that curves inward at the lip to help retain the bouquet and scent of the wine.

Opened bottles of red and white wine may be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week.

**Studies have shown that drinking a glass of red wine every day may actually have certain health benefits. Research indicates that moderate consumption of red wine may help protect against certain forms of cancers and heart disease. Drinking red wine can also help keep cholesterol levels and blood pressure in check. But do remember, the key to the health benefits of red wine lie in moderate consumption. In other words, when it comes to red wine more of a good thing is not a better thing.

Tanya, that is a good question and I probably should have included it in my original post, I much prefer wines with a more oaky taste. I haven’t actually tried too many white wines so I really dont know what I like in that area. I love a dry red wine, I have had a few different kinds of merlot’s and cabernet’s and I found them to be pretty enjoyable. I am not opposed to trying wines that are more fruity since my experience is pretty limited, so I am open to any input that you have.

Aline wow, that is a lot of great information, thank you very much, sorry to make you repost.

No problem. Glad I could help! :lol:

Also, what is the best wine to go with turkey?

Turkey is one of the most versatile of meats when it comes to wine. The white meat is light enough to handle white wines, yet flavorful enough to handle lighter more delicate reds. The dark meat can stand up to bold reds.

Serve both a red and a white and let guests take their pick. That is what we always did.

I was just reading this … David … a great toasty Chardonnay is Toasted Head - enjoy!!!

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I love Tempranillo grapes with it’s fruity flavors when drinking red wine with most foods.

When eating meats, I can tolerate stronger grapes and older oak flavored RESERVE wines. Any Spanish Rioja wine you pick for meat is a guaranteed hit for your meal.

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I, too, am interested in wine recommendations. Is there a wine that is red, oaky, yet fruity? I seem to recall my father drinking a red/blush that was a cross with a merlot but slightly fruity. But that was my recollection, my taste buds could have changed by now. :slight_smile: