For one of the oldest alcoholic beverages in the world, the amount we know about wines is modest at best. With so many types to choose from and the additional dilemma of understanding vintages and wine making methods, wine certainly enjoys lesser popularity than its easy-going cousin – beer.
However, with its rich history and host of health benefits, the wine culture is fast becoming popular in India and its highly likely that most of us would have received an invitation to a wine brunch at a friend’s house at some point or the other. But when it comes to hosting a wine brunch yourself, a little knowhow about the wino surely goes a long way and these tips are all you need to know before you play hostess to a wine brunch this summer!
# Choosing the right colours
Wines come in three types based on their colour – red, white, and rose. While it’s common to have all types of wine at a brunch, it’s best to understand each wine type so you can mix and match according to the other elements in your brunch.
Red wines are made from black grapes and the skins are kept through the fermentation process. This increases the tannins in the wine along with polyphenols that fight toxins and prevent skin ageing but make the wines more robust in nature.
Rose wines are made from black grapes too, but the skins aren’t retained throughout the entire process of fermentation, giving the wines a naturally sweeter taste since they contain lesser tannins. Rose wines have the shortest life span among wines and are generally not aged much.
White wines are made from white grapes or even black grapes sometimes, but the skins aren’t retained in the fermentation process. White wines have the least amount of tannins and are the fruitiest among all wines.
# Getting the body right
Based on their bodies, wines are either light, medium, or heavy. The body or the viscosity of a wine is primarily based on its alcohol content, making it an important criterion in choosing the right wines for your party. If you’re mixing it up with some sangrias or wine coolers, heavy-bodied wines are a better option owing to their higher alcohol content. On the other hand, if the focus is more on the wine and lesser on the food, light-bodied wines are better since they are easier on the palette and obviously you can drink more of them.
#Serve it right
Understanding how to serve wine is just about as important as buying the right wine, because the real essence of wine drinking is often in the subtleties that one might tend to explicitly ignore.
Temperatures make a big impact in serving different types of wines. While red wines should be ideally served slightly cooler than room temperature, white and rose wines are best served chilled.
The right glass is equally important as the right wine itself and red wines should be served in larger bowled glasses that help some of the ethanol evaporate and give a smoother taste to the wine. White and rose wines on the other hand are best served in smaller bowled glasses with longer stems that prevent contact with the bowl of the glass, thereby maintaining the wine’s chill, also preventing the fruitier aromas from evaporating.
#Pairing wines with food
Drinking wine is an experience that’s much larger than just sipping wine from a glass and amalgamates with what you eat along with it as well. While food and wine pairing is an intricate art, there are some basics that will ensure you always get the pairing right. To begin with, white wines pair well with veggies, cheeses, and white meats, while red wines pair better with red meats and more robust flavours. Rose wines cut through courses and pair well with cheeses, light meats, and desserts.
While there are many finer nuances about drinking, serving, and pairing wine with food, the tips above should sort you out for good and help you impress your guests by being the perfect hostess for a summery wine brunch, or maybe even a ladies day out with a couple of glasses of the wino and a chick flick!
