I, like most wine educators and enthusiasts, follow Jancis Robinson, the highly respected British wine critic, journalist, and author, widely recognized as one of the most influential voices in the world of wine. I recently read an article she wrote for the Financial Times, and I thought she did a great job dispelling wine myths. Here are the top five that I have encountered with my wine students and clients.
1. RED WINE SHOULD BE SERVED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
This is my number one question – and it is very confusing to most people. Room temperature can vary considerably from place to place and season to season. Heat or A/C is not always going to keep your space at a uniform temperature. For example, today I have the windows open, and it is about 70 degrees in my kitchen. In the winter, if I have my woodstove going, it could be warmer. So, my room temperature varies and is not anywhere near the recommended 59-64 degrees for red wine service (this is per my Wine & Spirits Trust L3 textbook) I keep my wine in a wine fridge at 55 degrees, or in my nice, old colonial stone basement, which is generally about that same temperature year-round.
2. WHITE WINE SHOULD BE WELL CHILLED
If a white wine, especially a more full bodied like an oaky Chardonnay, it too cold it has muted flavors and tastes very acidic. If you keep your wine in the fridge, it could be a tad cool (kitchen fridges are usually around 38 degrees and my white wine fridge is at 42-44). If its in the kitchen, I will often take the wine out for a few minutes and let it get closer to the 45-50 degrees that is recommended. Just don;t do this too long as it’ll probably warm up in the glass
3. When you’re given the wine to taste in a restaurant, it’s to see whether you like it.
Per Jancis “Definitely not. It’s to let you check that it’s what you ordered, served at an agreeable temperature and smells clean, so is not faulty.”
This can relate to Myth #1 – I cannot tell you how many times I have been offered warm “room temperature near the kitchen” wine. The wine should A) be the correct bottle you ordered, B) at the right temperature and C) not be faulty – you can smell if it is off or reminds you of wet cardboard.
4. Wines with screw tops are not good quality
This might have been the case at one point in time, but screw tops AKA Stelvin closures, are now widely accepted as a good and reliable way to close a wine bottle. For ageing more than 2-5 years, probably not, but for early drinking wine these are now wdiely accepted. In fact almost all New Zealand wines are closed with a screw cap as part of their sustainability efforts. Does this mean all screw top wines are good – definitely not – but don’t be a wine snob about it!
5. All wine improves with age.
Can I tell you how many people in classes, at events or at the wine shop want to know how long a wine can age? Only about 5% of wine is meant to be aged or cellared as we say. The rest is designed to be drunk young. Think about it – if you are a winemaker, you want your consumer to drink it now, love it, come back for more and keep the cycle going.
For example, a light and fruity rose in general is a drink now wine, same for many New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. Most wines will actually decline in quality if aged too long.
A wine has to have sufficient intensity of flavor, tannins if red, acidity and possibly sugar if a sweet wine to be able to last and not fade away. So, drink most wines now or in the next couple years.
Hope this was informative and helped you enjoy your wine experiences even more. Cheers!
