Brian St. Pierre - The Wine Deck: 50 Ways to Choose, Serve, and Enjoy Great Wines

staying cool is a good idea

The quickest way is to put it in a bucket or tub with a mixture of ice and water (ice alone is inefficient). A bottle of wine should chill well in about half an hour. The next-best way is in the fridge, which can take between an hour and an hour and a half.

Its not that much quicker, and theres always the chance that youll forget it, the bottle will crack from the expanding liquid, and youll end up with wine slush.

Most whites should be well chilled, with the exception of Chardonnay, which should be just lightly chilled so it doesnt lose its complexity. Ross are more refreshing when chilled.

Just a few. Light red wines like Beaujolais, Gamay, Chinon, and Valpolicella benefit from a bit of a chillthe coolness increases their liveliness.

wine is a cooks best friend

Not the most expensive, and not the cheapest (wine becomes concentrated with heat, so if its flawed, cooking makes it worse). Go for good basic flavor and intensitylight wines for light foods, heavier wines for meat stews or spicy dishes.

When wine is heated, the alcohol cooks off fairly quicklythe boiling point of alcohol is quite a bit lower than that of water.

Wine labeled cooking wine is basically cheap wine that has had salt added to it. Its not really a bargain and is not very tasty. Remember, if its not fit to drink, its not fit to cook with.

Always add wine at the beginning of cooking, so the alcohol cooks away and maximum flavor develops. Use Champagne with restraintit can make a dish overly tart.

hints for stress-free entertaining

Done right, dinner parties are wonderfully convivial fun; done wrong, theyre sheer hell for hosts and guests alike. Here are some guidelines for creating a successful occasion.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE enough glasses. Never double them upwho needs to stop everything while you wash and dry them to pour another wine?

WRITE DOWN A TIMETABLE for the food preparation, be realistic about the timing, and then add ten minutes to every step for insurance.

WEAR COMFORTABLE SHOES while you cook. Nothing tires you out like hurting feet.

ALLOW ENOUGH TIME for the white wines to chill properly. A bottle of white wine will chill well in half an hour in ice, an hour in the fridge; several bottles of wine will take even longer. Allow at least one hour in ice for four bottles or more.

SET THE TABLE in advance.

MAKE AS MUCH AHEAD as possible. This is where a cold first course comes in handy, and dessert should be made ahead, too.

the right hardware helps

Most important is that the screw is an open spiral with a sharp point that goes cleanly into the cork and gets a good grip. The best corkscrew looks like a pocketknife. Known as the waiters friend, its easy to carry and to operateyou can pull a cork quickly with a lever action, and its sharp bits fold away.

Decanters are useful and attractive; they help open up wines aroma and flavor by allowing a bit of the alcohol and tannin to blow off, which can be useful in young wines. Choose one that isnt too heavy and that is easy to pour from. A glass stopper wont provide a perfect seal, so wine should never be stored in a decanter.

Essential equipment. It should be big enough to hold a bottle, ice, and water. Terra-cotta or double-walled coolers are effective once the wine is cold.

Recorkers for Champagne and other sparkling wines preserve the bubbles for as long as two days. Choose either a simple plastic type topped by a lever or a stainless steel type that clamps on tightly.

perennial partners

Aside from their complementary flavors, they are the product of similar fermentations and often have similar types of acidity in common, making them compatible.

Wine and cheese are a good match any time. As a snack or before a meal, light red or white wines go well with firm, mild cheeses like Monterey or Sonoma Jack, Emmenthal, Edam, or Jarlsberg. After dinner, things get more serious.

Not necessarily. Red Bordeaux and aged Gouda is a formal, classic after-dinner pairing, but most of the time sweet white wines are the best matchSauternes or Late-Harvest Rieslings with Roquefort, Gorgonzola, or Stilton, for example.

They make first-rate partners, too. Port, either red or tawny, is great with various blue cheeses, and the rich, golden Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise or Sicilian Muscats are lovely with aged Parmesan or pecorino.

mellowing out

Not everyday, inexpensive wines. Most wine, red or white, is ready to drink when its bought. Those that benefit and mellow are fine, full-flavored wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, red Bordeaux and Burgundy, Barolo, and reserve Rioja and Chianti.

White wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Riesling often benefit from at least short-term aging, until about two or three years after the vintage date.

Not really. Wine is affected by heat, light, and vibration, so it should be stored out of the kitchen and away from machinery such as a refrigerator or washing machine. Boxing up the wine will keep out light well enough, and a closet is usually adequate storage space.

The ideal temperature for long-term storage is between 42 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit; at between 65 and 73 degrees, the wine isnt harmed but will mature sooner over several years. For short-term aging, that range shouldnt be a problem.