Monday, August 8, 2016

Wine....A delightful little Hobby.

Hobby? Wine is a hobby?  Of course the making of wine is a hobby, that is a well known fact, but I am talking about the consumption of wine. Now there's a fun hobby. As I write these words, I am not sure how to categorize this blog as Well-being/Mental Health or Health & Fitness.  With the remarkable attributes of wine, I dare say that I think I will call it both.  Of course most medical experts today have agreed that moderate amounts of red wine is good for the heart.  And a relaxing glass of wine can do wonders to calm one's nerves.  Good for physical health and mental health-Hooray! Or should I say cheers!

I have been drinking wine (and beer) since I was about 14 years old. (Shhh..don't tell my Mom, but like most Moms she has eyes in the back of her head and....well, she knows) In any case, do those wine drinkers out there remember Boone's Farm Strawberry Hill Wine?  How about MD 20/20-otherwise known as Mogen David? **Sigh** brings back memories but know I don't know how I drank that stuff. Yuck. Sickly sweet.  I guess our tastes change and "mature".  Some prefer sweet wines as adults that is true, but I myself prefer a nice smooth Cabernet.  Whites however, I lean towards the sweeter side-nothing like a good Pinot Grigio.

My wine drinking "hobby" has provided the fodder for numerous conversations among my circle of girlfriends.  It allows a whole spectrum of shared interest that goes the gambit from the sharing of favorite wines to the beauty of the fancy glasses that we drink them from.  Ask my close friends about my special "fishie" etched glass that after a few glasses starts to resemble something other than a fish. Use you imagination. I have another girlfriend who pursues wine making as a hobby as well as drinking it.  She and her husband have created some wonderful vintages.  I always like being on the receiving end of that hobby!

In any case, I learned an amazing amount of information about wine working in a liquor store summers during my college student days.  When you are stocking out wine it's fun to start reading a few labels and you can start to understand the complex world of wine. I have found that it can be as complex, or as simple as you want it to be.  The main thing that I believe is to drink that you enjoy and not drink something because it "should" be wonderful. My Mom has the greatest little refrigerator magnet that say it all: "Life is too short to drink bad Wine."  So when I was at the liquor store I had a mentor of sorts who filled me in on several things about wine and how they are classified.  He was a really knowledgeable guy and worked hard, but I do recall that he probably needed a better deodorant. (Whew....unloading a truck with him was a treat! ) Anyway, I digress...he did have a good working knowledge of wine. Let me share just a few tid-bits, that I learned from Mike and things I have picked up along the way.  Just little things that make the world of wine a little less confusing (and/or intimidating).


Here's a little primer on wine classifications and to understand the different types:
  • Wine is generally classified in two different ways: by the types of grape used and where the grapes are grown. For example, Pinot Grigio is a type of grape, but Burgundy is a region in France. Sometimes confusing, because there is Burgundy that comes from California...just originally named after the wine from France.
  • Basically 3 types of Wine: Red, White and Rose' , with alot of variation on those three. The type of grape determines the color, but it is kind of interesting that Rose' or "blush" wines are made by removing the skins early in the fermentation process, hence the lighter color.
  •  What food with what wine? The general rule is fish, poultry,pork and light salads with White wine, red meats and pasta with Red wine. This is generally a good rule to follow because it helps to enhance the flavor of the food instead of fighting it.  Again, rules are made to be broken (in certain situations) and you need to go with what you feel like.

Don't get me started on Glassware.  I personally shun the rules that say you must drink Red out of a certain glass and White out of another.  I like beautifully etched glass, painted novelty glasses, and the $1.50 stemware from Walmart. I will say, however, it is nice to drink wine out of a clear glass so you can easily admire the color and bouquet without distraction.  There is a purpose, however, for drinking champagne and other bubbly wines from the tall "flutes"glasses. Not just to appear "fancy", but it actually does allow the effervescence to disperse slower.  If you serve champagne in a standard bowl shaped wine glass, the bubbles will evaporate too quickly and the wine will go flat in a matter of minutes.
 Besides, the taller flutes make for a nicer display of all those little bubbles you hold in your hand.  In this photo, you can see how the champagne flute on the far left, makes a lovely display for the little bubbles.  Gives you something to look at while you sip.  And sip you should, not only is it uncouth to chug champagne, with all those little bubbles you can get the worst of the worst hangovers. Trust me. Even worse than that MD 20/20 we drank as teenagers.

So if you partake in the nectar of the God's, learn a little about your favorites, read more labels and by all means ENJOY!

"Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin, Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved."  Medieval German proverb

To Your Health!  Cheers!

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