fp Turks and Caicos

Wine and things wine have been a hobby of mine for many years now. I have visited vineyards in France, Italy, England, Canada, California and Chile.

So what have I learned to pass on — any words of wisdom to the wine novice? Just one — relax! Wine is not a mystery.

In fact, wine is more like a cookie. There are chocolate chips, Oreos and oatmeal, so we can find one we like. Certain cookies go better with milk or tea or coffee, and certain wines match up with particular foods as well.

Many do not realize that wine is in fact a food with nutrients and calories. There are documented advantages to a diet with moderate wine consumption, so feel free to enjoy.

Wine is probably enjoyed by most of us to help relax at the end of the day and as a social lubricant to help us solve the world’s problems. Wine with our meals helps enhance our enjoyment by cleansing the palate and allowing us a fresh taste after each sip. So if there is a trick to the mystery of wine, it is to learn which wines go best with which foods.

Once we have settled on a menu at home or at a restaurant, we can choose the wines. I must confess that often I choose the wine first, then the food!

Many wine labels offer suggestions as to what dish the wine compliments. The old simplistic guide is a good start — red meat with red wine, and white meat and fish with white wine. Part of the fun with wine is to learn the varying degrees of wine flavor from light to heavy, and this is what needs consideration with food.

Light red meats and sauces and heavy white meats and sauces go well with a Pinot Noir, a great red, which is a light and flavorful. It comes from almost every country now and in all price ranges. For heavier foods and sauces, go up to a Cabernet Sauvignon. Remember, this is just a simple guide.

White wines are more complex than most people think. Chardonnay is the biggest seller but comes in very different flavors based on how it is aged. The California and Australia versions, aged in oak barrels, have a buttery taste and I think are best on their own as a cocktail wine.

The French versions — no oak — do not usually show the grape variety, but generally they come in sloping shoulder wine bottles like Maçon and Pouilly Fuissé and are better with food. France really makes wine to go with food, and each village wine has a different flavor that goes perfectly with the local foods.

The second most popular white is Sauvignon Blanc, which comes in straight shoulder bottles and has a good fresh citrus flavor that really goes with anything with a buttery sauce. Italian seem more subdued and Chilean more flavorful. You do not need to spend more than $10 to get a great one either!

Of course, there are many other grape varieties producing many flavors, and some are blended, so trying them all will give you years of enjoyment.

Then there are rosé wines. The best are “dry” (not sweet) from France where it has overtaken white wine sales. Rosés go with lunch at an outdoor café quite well. They drink young and are always under $20.

Talking of wine prices leads me to some advice on wine lists. Very few restaurants can offer you a good bottle of wine for more than $75. The reason is that great (expensive) wines need to age, and most restaurants cannot afford to do this. It is a waste of money to drink great wines before they are maybe 10 years old — they just don’t taste good!

We are fortunate to have some good restaurants here with interesting wine lists, so ask for advice. There are many wines that do not need aging, and more wine makers are going in that direction. Drinking young and fresh wines is the key.

If you like to own a few good wines to fondle from time to time, by all means do buy some better wines to age at home. If you do not have a proper wine cellar cooled to 65 degrees, then the wines will age must faster, so do not keep them more than 2-3 years in a dark cool place — not on top of your fridge!

One last bit of advice is to embrace screw tops. Corks are finished!

Enjoy!

When Jim Brown isn’t sampling wine all over the world, you will find him at the ERA Real Estate office in Saltmills Plaza.