A word to the wise drinker

A word to the wise is enough, especially when it’s the case of a wise drinker.

Today I am sharing with you the keys of a great drinker; what are the differences between a plain and simple drinker and a great drinker.

1. Buying on a specialized store

True, wines are sold in several places like supermarkets, grocery stores, wine stores or direct selling, but the best option (by far) is to buy them on a specialized place. The fine wine stores not only provide with the necessary advice to optimize your investment, but also will keep the product away from sunlight, excessive lights, the environment humidity and temperature changes.

2. Store the wine on an appropriate place

Once the wine was acquired, the good drinker will store it adequately if it is not to be drank immediately. This storing implies keeping it away from heat or extreme cold, hiding it from natural or artificial light and keeping it safe from vibrations.
The places thought by most architects and kitchen designers such as near the fire, next to the fridge or over it, are not nor will ever be the right place to store a bottle of wine.

3. Serving it at the correct temperature

Someone who believes himself or herself to be a good drinker will never taste a wine out of its adequate temperature. Each varietal and each style of wine has its suggested temperature

Ideal service temperatures
• Sparkling wine from 6º to 8ºC.
• Young white wines from 7º to 10ºC.
• Oaky whites from 10º to 12ºC.
• Rose from 10º to 12ºC.
• Oaky reds from 16º to 20ºC.
• Fortified from 18º to 20ºC.
• Late harvests or sweet harvests from 8º to 12ºC.

On a simplified form we could say that white and sparkling wines can be drank just after getting them out of the fridge, while red wines can be drank about 45 minutes after getting them out of the fridge. The important thing is not being guided by the classic room temperature, said temperature can be 10, 30 or 45°C and that is by no means an exact parameter.

The correct temperature allows the expression of all the aromas of the wine.

4. Choosing the adequate glass

This is one of the most important habits and it consists on choosing the correct glass for each style of wine which is essential to fully enjoy it. The glass for a sparkling can be the classic flute glass or the glass designed for white wine. This type of glass is smaller than the red wine one. On one hand, normally they are much more aromatic and emits its aromatic molecules without too much effort. On the other hand, due to being smaller less wine is served preventing it from heating up quickly. The optimal thing would be to put the bottle on an ice bucket or getting it back on the fridge.
The glass of red wine is a little wider and the size and format varies according to the varietals and style. The explanation for this is that the wider the glass is, the less trapped the aromas will be inside the liquid and the wine will be oxygenated more easily.

5. Choosing the perfect pairing

A crucial point to the full enjoyment; who can call himself a good drinker surely also enjoys good cooking and good food. Is impossible to not enjoy a good asado without a red wine with body and structure or a beautiful rainbow trout without a white wine with lively acidity. While there are no perfect rules for pairing, the ultimate would be to be guided by your palate.
Grease food ask for wines with tannins (those that tend to dry your mouth if you drink them alone) or wines with good acidity to help clean your mouth.

6. Choose for company

The good drinker does not tend to drink alone. He or she will choose with whom to uncork a great wine or in its defect, will serve a glass to enjoy with a good book or a movie.

7. Take the time to enjoy it

If you bought on a good place, kept it in the right place, drunk it using the correct glass at the appropriate temperature and with the food and company conscientiously chosen, the only thing left is to enjoy it, since it is pretty much everything. There are wines that take you to travel through time and space, bringing back memories or projecting wishes and because of that they deserve their time.

I invite you to follow them step by step and practise each of those steps, As you know, the habit makes the monk, or in this case the good drinker