5 things you probably did not know about wine
Wine is a beverage that befits any occasion, so it might be a good idea to learn something new about it from time to time.
I like great wine. Red, white, rose, sparkling, dry or sweet – wine can be matched with any occasion and paired with any mood. This is why today I put together a post featuring five fun facts about wine that you may have not been familiar with.
The manufacturer is key
There thousands of wines of different varieties produced by different manufacturers available on the market. It is the manufacturers that have the most impact on what the wine will be like. A competent winemaker knows how to handle the different grape varieties and which technological processes to apply to get great wine. A less experience producer may spoil even the best variety of grapes.
The most expensive wines are expensive for a reason
We have grown accustomed to the fact that wine is available in every shop at reasonable prices. Is it worth paying a few hundred złoty per bottle then? It is, but provided you know what you are expecting and can appreciate it. High prices do not stem from someone’s arbitrary decision but they are linked with the costs incurred in the course of production including the costs of hand picking the grapes, a good location of the vineyard, the price of new oak barrels, limited crops or the expertise of the person behind the wine.
Connoisseurs love sweet wines
When the fashion for wine drinking came to Poland a while back, sweet wines were underrated as being a relic of the past times when the only choice Poles was “red or white”. However, the greatest connaisseurs love sweet wines – the German Riesling, Italian Moscato d’Asti and Portuguese Porto.
Wine has to breathe
Every wine will benefit from some oxygen, irrespective of its price, grape variety or denomination. But simply removing the screw and leaving the bottle open does not mean the wine will be able to oxygenate. You need to pour the wine into a decanter and leave it there for some time. You can also pour the wine into glasses and wait a quarter of an hour or so until you drink it.
You can have your own wine in good restaurants
Some restaurants have the BYOB rule and allow guests to have their own wine with the meal at a fee called corkage. This means that if you you’re your favourite grape variety or type of wine that pairs well with venison, seafood or cheese, you will not have to pick something from the restaurant wine list that you are not familiar with and that might not live up to your expectations.
