Know your wine – the simple way
So you’re out for dinner and you want to impress your date by knowing a little about the wine. And who can blame you, who wants to spend a fortune on bad wine? But to become a wine connoisseur you’ve got to put the hours in and heading straight for your favourite bottle of £3.99 Pinot Grigo from Sainsbury just won’t cut the mustard.
But here are a few simple tips to impress your date and show that you really do know your stuff when it comes to wine…
It’s fine to say YES to the house wine…I know what you’re thinking. If you say you’ll have a bottle of the house wine then that’s going to make you look – well – cheap. But don’t shun it just because of that, whilst it maybe the cheapest wine on the menu, it can sometimes be one of the best. House wine is chosen because of it’s abilities to go with most foods. Also for the wine to be house wine, it is technically being recommended by the owner which means that it’s got to be good.
Match the country…If you’re going to an Italian restaurant then choose an Italian wine, likewise with French and Spanish.
Choose based on your food…This is a great way to get the conversation started too, before you’re seated why not ask what the other person fancies eating? That way you’ll have a bit of a heads up on what wine to choose. Stick with the basic principles that heavy, rich foods like steak are complemented with a hearty red such a Malbec whilst white meat and fish are paired with more delicate wines like Pinot Grigo. Just this one little tip will rule out 50% of the wine choices for you anyway.
Do your research…It’s not as geeky and boring as it may sound. Research some of the different grapes and see whether they suit your tastes. You’ll find that you’ll start to see names you recognise when you look at the menu. Also look at the descriptions “crisp”, “floral”, “full bodied” and go with what you usually enjoy. Do you like light wines or are you more of a strong red lover?
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