Wine Choice

Red, White, Rose, Sparkling, Sweet, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, New World …………..ahhh ! so much choice… where do I start?

Depending on my mood, I will probably be spending hours (Covid-19 permitting) in a wine shop or browsing the supermarket aisles to try and find a “nice looking” label or a cracking promotion.

Let’s not mistake ourselves - buying wine can be daunting. Normally the objective is to find a well-known brand or something a bit more exclusive to take to that dinner party at your posh friend’s house!

As you are about to arrive to that dinner party you think to yourself: “Right, I really cannot go wrong with this nice looking bottle of Rioja that cost me a fortune! “  ……and as you walk through the door, you start smelling a delicate aroma of shellfish bisque and lay your eyes on a very large seafood plateau!

The moral of the story is, without being too intrusive, try and find out what is on the menu J !

The general rules are:

• White wine and Rose wine with lighter dishes such as fish, pasta, vegetarian and chicken
• Red wine with heavier dishes of red meat, strong cheese and sometimes pizza
• Sparkling wine and Vinho Verde with seafood

These are generally the rules. However, as you develop your wine knowledge, you can start mixing as bit and finding the perfect wine & food pairing.

Also try not to leave it to the last minute to rush to a shop to buy that special wine. Plan in advance. You can either go to your wine shop every so often or order it on-line to have a selection that are not only day-to-day wines but also a few special ones and exclusive ones and have them ready for that special moment.