Wine and food have almost always been linked. From simply opening a bottle during a dinner with friends to the perfect combination between wine and dish in a star restaurant; the two cannot miss each other. The choice of wine, the factors that determine how the wine will taste and a basic understanding of which wine goes with which meal are some of the aspects described here.
Choosing wine
A personal matter
Just as people have different viewing and hearing capacities, they also have different sense of taste. When choosing wine, personal taste therefore plays a major role and that is why it is important to first discover yourself and find out what you like and what you don’t. A notebook in which you record all the wines you drink or taste and give a brief description of the personal impressions can help you make easier choices later on. Thus, unexpectedly or otherwise, one learns which other wines have the same characteristics and learns to recognize common elements between different wines, such as the grape variety, the style of label, regional preference, and so on.
By constantly making use of his own notes, one no longer has to be guided by a big name that is often paid far too dearly. Discovering a good quality wine that suits personal taste and is not a disaster for the wallet can be considered a victory during those first steps.
What factors determine the taste of wine?
The taste of a particular wine is determined by the interaction of a number of factors:
- Grape variety: each grape variety has certain aromas and gives a certain character to the wine
- Terroir: one grape variety is better suited to a particular terroir than another. That is why some grape varieties also do better in one region than in another. The nature of the soil, the location and the drainage all have an influence on the result that a certain harvest gives.
- Climate: rain at the right time, the right temperature or no frost when the vines are already sprouting, sun when the grapes ripen, no more rain just before and during the harvest, … Nowhere are the weather gods worshiped as in viticulture. The result is so dependent on the weather and the climate that connoisseurs can even taste whether a wine comes from a warm climate or not. They can also determine the year based on their knowledge because the weather is different every year.
Winegrower
The winegrower makes a number of choices from the start that will determine the quality and taste of the wine. The yield of a vineyard in itself determines the quality. For example, the number of vines on a particular stretch will determine the depth of the roots and consequently affect the soil layer in which they find their food. The number of bunches of grapes that can be cut, in turn determines the ripening process of the remaining grapes.
Manual picking is very labor intensive, but the grapes are less bruised during picking. Mechanical picking is much cheaper, but the risk of damage is greater and the stems remain on the grapes more often.
Various choices can also be made during the vinification process (the entire process of winemaking). How long will maceration be used (releasing color and flavor from the skins and seeds in the juice) or does one use wooden barrels or not?
Over the last 20 years, the large concrete tubs have been increasingly replaced by smaller ones in stainless steel. This made it possible to process wine on a smaller scale, for example per terroir, and improved the quality.
How does wine taste “ready to drink”?
Knowing when a wine is best to drink is a skill in itself. Only by tasting a lot and gaining experience is it possible to master this profession. In general, a wine will last as long as it needs time to mature. A wine that ripens quickly does not last as long and can therefore be consumed more quickly. In the past, expensive, high-quality Bordeaux wines could take 20 years to reach their peak. Such wine could be consumed up to 20 years after the declared vintage, but these have become extremely rare in 2014.
More than 80% of the wine that is now made should be consumed within 2 to 3 years. Preservation wines can still be found, but the mentality has changed a lot and wine is drunk less old than it used to be. Even the best wines today reach their maximum maturity after 4 to 8 years. Only in ideal circumstances and on the advice of the winegrower or merchant can these wines be kept longer.
Wine with meals
With every wine there are somewhere a number of serving tips or suggestions for combinations with dishes. Combining wines with dishes is mainly a matter of common sense. When a particular regional specialty is served, it is often simply convenient to choose a wine from the same region. If such a wine is not available or does not fit in the budget, then there is certainly one with a similar character.
If different wines are served during a meal, it is not only important to pour the right wine with each dish, but also to observe a good pouring order. There are some more modern views on this, but these rules of experience still apply for the most part:
- chilled wines reach room temperature before wines
- young wines for old ones
- light for stronger, more severe wines
- white before red wine
- red wine comes before sweet white or sweet red
- wines from the same region are drunk in order of their vintage, youngest first. This is because the younger wines generally have a less complex taste than the older ones.
As mentioned, exceptions here also confirm the rule. For example, a sweet (white or red) wine will precede the red wine when it is served with an aperitif or an entrée with, for example, goose liver.