Wine, what's in your glass?

First off, I'm no sommelier. Not by a long shot. I pretty much buy wine based off how cool I think the label is.
I know reds are served room temp, I know whites are served chilled and I know the opposite can be true based off your personal taste. Although, I don't think I've ever heard of anyone drinking white wine room temp....

I also know I like Riesling the best. And of those I've enjoyed (not many), Chateau Ste Michelle Riesling has been my favorite. Oh...and I can't even pronounce that BTW. So yeah, not even close to being a sommelier.

Anyway, tonight I am enjoying Chateau Ste Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon. Right off the bat I get a tart taste, which I really like. I love pickles and anything that makes my mouth pucker. Comparing wine to pickles....OK.

As I keep sipping the tartness fades and everything just becomes smoother and mellow. Tastes great.

 

We've been on a sparkling wine kick lately. And it goes on great sales for Valentine's day. Love it with fried chicken (or fried pork, for that matter.) Mostly we've been drinking Mumm Napa (rose & Cuvee M) and Chandon from Napa (blanc de noir). Particularly like the rose with ham. We find the Cuvee M too sweet for most things but really like it with Thai.

Chateau Ste Michelle is about an hour or so up the road from us.

 

An hour up the road, that's cool! I think I would enjoy visiting a winery. Never have though.

How do you find sparkling wine? Does it say "sparkling" on the bottle or some other fancy word?

 

Almost exclusively reds. Cabs, Zins, Malbec, Chianti etc. California, Australia, Italy not that particular.

 

That's the general rule presented to the public, but it has resulted in too many reds served too warm and too many whites served too cold.

 

Look in the champagne section. A wine isn't officially "champagne" unless it's made in the Champagne region in France. Otherwise it's just sparkling wine.

Wineries are pretty fun. We haven't been to Chateau St Michelle yet.

 

I can see that happening. My home is kept at 71, so room temp for this wine is right around that. Probably a better temp would be closer to 65?
Or does it just vary by the wines?

ahhh I see. I toured the Miller Brewery, so I got a sense how beer is made. No real clue how wine is made other than crush some grapes and let it sit for a long time.
My last experience with champagne left me with a crushing headache. But it was NYE and I didn't feel like sharing my bottle.
2005 maybe....

 

That might not kill you, but it will leave you wanting to die.

 

The same applies to wines referred to as Chablis, Burgundy, etc.

 

The usual chambré temperature is considered 18-20 degrees Celsius, roughly 64-68F.

 

Thanks for the info Jay!

 

We usually keep the house around 65-66. Now when the old man complains about it being cold, I can tell him it's so the wine is the right temperature. HAH!

 

Sweet?...they ain't jokin'

 

Never had a Malbec. I dig it so far.

 

Malbec is quite delicious when you get the right one

 

Call me crazy but I think the second half of the bottle I consumed tonight was better than the first half last night.

 

Just needed a bit of air. Do you use an aerator normally? Can be a good investment of you enjoy a bit of wine.

 

I don't use anything. I simply pull the cork and enjoy. Perhaps I should invest in an aerator

 

Or open it and pour some into your glass before you start cooking dinner. No, don't start drinking it right away! The extra surface area in the glass lets it breathe more.

 

I have a pretty decent Mondavi, a six litre reserve.