Latest news with #winelovers
New York Times
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Times
A Starter Pack for Aspiring Wine Lovers
Here's a little secret about wine — it's great fun. It's delicious, too. You would never know this to hear people talk about wine. Too often, it is buried under a mass of nonsense that has nothing to do with the pleasure and joy it offers. It's discussed with painstaking precision using complex terminology and pretension, as tasters grapple with metaphorical descriptions of aromas and flavors, and conjecture about methodology and equipment. They ultimately deconstruct wine like anatomy students dismembering a cadaver. It makes wine seem like very serious business, which, for many people, is a turnoff. Wine does deserve academic discussion. It can be complicated, with many mysterious elements that people strive to understand. Yet it's also a simple pleasure, a great drink. The serious, rational side of wine should not overwhelm its emotional appeal. Dry talk about learning to 'appreciate' wine obscures the fact that people deeply, passionately love it. It's the difference between fulfilling an obligation and being moved by desire. Reconciling these two sides of wine can be baffling. It's no wonder that people are hesitant about wine, especially young people, many of whom also fear alcohol as risky. Almost everybody finds it intimidating and often more expensive than other alcoholic drinks. Nonetheless, people are often curious, too. Perhaps they've seen people enjoying it, and they may have heard that humans have considered wine a great pleasure for thousands of years. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- General
- Irish Times
Ten things you need to know about wine
Wine is made by fermenting freshly gathered grapes. It can be red, white, rosé, sparkling or fortified. There are no rights and wrongs. Nobody insists that you like carrots; it's the same with wine. You like what you like . Price is not always an indicator of quality. But if you spend €10-€20 on a bottle, it will probably taste a lot better. Good glasses make a difference. Large tulip-shaped glasses make wine taste better. Temperature matters. Serve a white wine too cold and you lose flavour (about 10 degrees is good). Warm red wine can seem soupy and alcoholic (aim for 18 degrees, cooler than most house temperatures). Learning about wine should be fun and not feel like an exam. Work out what you like and what you don't, and take it from there. Start by trying wines made from the most popular grape varieties and the best-known wine regions. That will give you a good idea of what you like and what you don't. Taking a few notes is a good idea. Matching food and wine can make both taste better, but don't get hung up about it. Not all wine improves with age. Most wine is ready to drink the day you buy it. Wines with screw caps are not inferior. Sometimes they are better than wines with corks.
