You have a dinner party coming up and you have completely run out of ideas for themes. Well, why not a wine party? There’s alcohol, good food, and a new activity. Everyone will love this!
Before you purchase any white wines online we think it would be a good idea to get acquainted first with the process. Otherwise, you’re throwing money out the window and setting yourself up for failure.
So, what do you need to know?
Here are five tips for choosing and tasting white wine as a beginner:
1. LSTF: Know How to Evaluate a Wine
Unsure how to evaluate a glass of white wine? OK, then remember this: LSTF.
This means:
- Look: Use a white tablecloth, hold the glass, angle it, and assess the colour.
- Smell: Swirl the glass, put your nose into the glass, and take a big whiff.
- Taste: Sip the wine, swirl it around in your mouth, and absorb it with your tongue.
- Finish: Swallow or spit out the wine and ask: How did it feel?
It might seem superfluous for a simple glass of white wine, but it is worth it just for the experience alone. You must remember that wine is a work of art, and you never want it to go to waste.
2. Be Careful of the Price
Like every other consumer purchase in life, expensive doesn’t mean better. Ditto for your white wine.
While there are a whole host of white wines out there that vary in cost, it is really the taste that matters. It is easy to think that the higher the price-tag, the greater the taste it will be. But it is important to note that the price of a bottle really depends on the wine grapes and the region they come from.
In the end, you just need to be careful of not getting fleeced at the checkout.
3. The Different Ways to Serve Wine
Yes, even serving white wine is an art form.
Most of us will merely pour the bottle of wine into a glass – and that’s it! But, in fact, there is a lot more to it because, again, imbibing white wine is an experience that you cannot take for granted.
So, if you can’t just pour wine into a glass, what should you be doing.
Well, here are a few suggestions:
- Keep the wine bottle in the fridge for up to two hours.
- Poke the cork slightly off centre and pull it out without breaking.
- Hold the bottle at a 90-degree angle and pour 150 mL into a glass.
- Preserver your open wine in the fridge and away from direct sunlight.
- Make it special by pouring wine into a decanter and let it sit for 45 minutes.
And that’s how you serve wine.
4. Know What Foods to Eat
Don’t know what to food to complement your white wine? Here are the top five:
- Chicken
- Seafood
- Salad
- Cheese
The next time you have a wine party, and white wines are the guests of honour, be sure you have these meals already prepared.
5. No, Not All White Wines Are the Same
Believe it or not, not all white wines are the same. There are plenty of styles, tastes, appearances, and other characteristics that you will notice the more white wine you consume. At first, you likely won’t be able to notice the difference, but experience breeds familiarity.
So, what white wines are there? Here’s a list to remember:
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Riesling
- Chenin Blanc
- Gewurtztraminer
There’s a lot more, but these are the most basic and most popular white wines around.
For years, you have just taken a sip of white wine and that was it. Today, as you get older, you’re interested in becoming intimately acquainted with the grapes, the seasoning, the production. You might have first thought it was plain arrogance to really enjoy white wine, but you have grown a passion for wines – red and white – and you aim to be a connoisseur. There is no harm in this.
Cheers!