Wine Myths Debunked
In reading the recent issue of Wine Enthusiast, they published a column on wine myths debunked. I’d like to share these and my thoughts on the myths.
*Smelling the Cork: The cork is not for smelling, unless you’re a whiz oenologist trained in picking up taint. You’re handed the cork to check that it’s not crumbling or saturated which can have impacted the integrity of the wine.
Thank goodness someone explained this one. I’ve never been able to smell anything but oak. Yet, anytime I order a bottle of wine I always smell the cork like I know what I’m looking for. I did recently run into a cork that was crumbling, but it was from the waiters’ poor job of opening the wine not a bad bottle of wine.
*Reds go with red meat, whites go with fish: They do, but it’s not that limited. For instance, some reds (Pinot Noir, Beaujolais) are delicious with seafood, while dry rośe or dry Riesling pairs well with salami.
Jonathan and I break this rule all the time. We do like a good red wine with a steak. However, we blur the lines with fish, pork, Italian and spicy foods. Our rule of thumb is drink what you like.
*Hold your wine to the light to check color: Actually holding your glass of wine against a white tablecloth or mat will give you a much better sense of the color that a blinding light will.
This is a rule that Jonathan and I follow on a regular basis. Someone told us this long ago at a wine tasting, and we continued this practice. It’s amazing to see the difference in color against white versus a dark countertop.
*Screwtops are for schlock wine:Not anymore. Screwcaps are the way of the future in the wine industry because they are a much better method for sealing wine than corks are. So be prepared to see coveted vintages sporting caps in the near future.
I’ve never really leaned one way on this issue. Honestly, I’m for which ever method best preserves the wine. And when traveling who doesn’t love a screwtop? Generally, I travel with a wine opener per the advice of my best girl friends.
*Wines breathe when you open the bottle: While most wines do benefit from decanting, you’ll achieve very little by simply popping the cork. The advantage of a decanter is that in its spacious bowl, you’ll unfurl tight wines, disperse aromas and in aged or unfiltered reds, sort out the sediment. Just opening the bottle won’t help you much.
This is one area we fail miserably in. We rarely properly decant our wines. Instead, we rely on the “swirl in the glass” method. Maybe this should be my New Year’s Resolution for wine.
*Storing wine in the kitchen is a functional and attractive option: Only if your wine is stored away from heat sources and ideally, temperature controlled.
We were the poster kids for how not to store wines, on top of the refrigerator, cabinet tops and standing tall. We lost several nice bottles because of our improper storage techniques. So they’ll continue to be the bottles used for decorations. However, several years ago we purchased a wine refrigerator to properly store our wines. It does make a nice addition to the kitchen/dining area, plus stores those precious bottles of wine.
Winery: 
