Wine Secrets
Want to win friends and influence people with random wine facts and Macgyver-like skills with wine service? Chris Morrison shows you how
How to breathe wine Just pulling the cork out will only expose the little disc of wine in the neck of the bottle to oxygen. It will not help the wine ‘breathe' or improve a wine's quality. Buy a decanter - just a simple one with a good broad base - and use it often.
How to avoid sediment When decanting hold the neck of the wine bottle over a candle - this will backlight the wine and let you see sediment building up, letting you know when to stop pouring. Take the full capsule off the neck of the bottle when decanting - especially old wine. This enables you to see the sediment building up much sooner.
Cork stuck in the bottle? Oh dear. Push the cork into the bottle. Then get a piece of string, tie a knot in one end and place it in bottle past the floating cork and slowly pull it up. How to read a wine list The secret to finding a real value wine in a restaurant is picking your varieties and regions well. It all depends on what you're eating but for a value proposition, look to Aussie drops like Clare/Eden Valley Riesling, Hunter Semillon, Grenache and ever reliable Shiraz from the Barossa.
How to talk to sommeliers Good sommeiliers can make your dining experience memorable for all the right reasons. A bad one can make you feel as though someone has lifted your wallet. Articulate clearly what you want and give the sommelier three price points to adhere to. Tell them what you're eating and always ask to taste the bottle regardless if it's under cork or screw cap. Is it corked? Cork taint usually smells like old socks or mould but can also be indicated by the total absence of fruit aroma and a hard dull palate. Screw caps, though made of metal can develop cork taint. It can develop in wineries' pipes, hoses and especially oak barrels. For this reason any wine that has seen oak, regardless of the enclosure used to seal the bottle, can have ‘cork taint'. Buyer beware!
How to store wine A great method for saving your wine for another occasion is recycling a 330ml soft drink bottle. Rinse it out with boiling hot water, fill it to the brim with wine and screw tight. Kept cool and in the dark, it will keep perfectly for about four weeks. Glad zip-lock bags can be filled with wine and frozen. Great to cook with down the track and could save you a glass or two of your favourite plonk. How to sound like an expert Less is more here. Be generic not specific: a few good words like 'body' and ‘balance' are good to throw in. 'Line and length' is a cracker for wine wankers - it means a wine that has great intensity of flavour and a long finish.
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