Hi again everyone,
This month I'll answer a few wine questions that I've been asked many times in Taiwan…
1. Should you put your red wines in the fridge?
Red wines should be served around 16-18°C, so usually the answer is no. However, during Taiwan summers, I suggest lightly chilling a wine for around half an hour, then taking it out of the fridge at least 20 minutes before opening. Better yet, keep your wines in a room that is around the right temperature. Some reds are fine if slightly chilled, but tend to be lower in tannin and are thus definitely not for ageing.
2. How long should you keep wine?
Different wine styles and even the same wines from different years keep for different lengths of time. Only the top 5-10% of reds and very few whites are worth keeping for a long time. As a rough guide in Taiwan, I'd say that for any red under NT$500, drink it now; for NT$500-800, within 3-4 years of the vintage date (on the label); and more than that, within 4-10 years. Very few wines will improve after about five years. Generally, by the time wine has been made, perhaps aged in oak, bottled, sent to Taiwan and onto retail shelves, and bought by you, it's about ready to drink. In some cases, it's probably too old! Wait too long and a wine will start to deteriorate into oxidised vinegar completely lacking fruit flavours.
3. Should you put ice in your wine?
Go ahead…if you want to make wine makers cry. Wine makers generally spend a lot of time, effort and money to reduce water content in the grape juice--a big factor in making your wine more expensive. So, by adding ice, you're turning it into cheap, low-quality wine with less flavour.
4. What's my favourite wine?
There is such a wide variety of styles and flavours in the world of wine that my favourite is whichever suits the food, situation or weather that I find myself in. They certainly aren't all good, but there are enough fantastic wines around the world to keep me going for one lifetime!
5. How long can you keep wine after you open it?
Vacuum seals, inert gas bottles and/or keeping your wine in the fridge will only help for a day or two. It will quickly lose its fruit character, start to oxidise, and turn into vinegar. So, open it...and drink it!
6. Recommended wine for June – Gold Medal-winning Spy Valley Pinot Gris.
Colour = Straw
Bouquet = Ripe citrus skin, pear and nutmeg aromas with a gentle waft of bran and rolled oats.
Palate = A finely balanced combination of fruit sweetness and a long rich finish. Peachy fruit and a dash of manuka honey. Delicious with seafood and Taiwanese cuisine, or for just cooling off in the summer.
Wine Connection special price--discounted 25% off to an amazing hot deal of NT$600 per bottle. Get it while it lasts.
Happy drinking,
Kris
kris@wineconnection.co.nz
WINE CONNECTION NZ LTD -
TAIWAN BRANCH
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Tel: (04) 3501-9606 Fax: (04) 3501-9607
www.wineconnectionasia.com
E-mail: simon@wineconnection.co.nz
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June 2011
