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ule 3
be body coNscious
Being body conscious makes the most
satisfying couplings. I’m talking about
wine and food here. Match a wine’s body
to the richest component of the dish and
you’re well on your way to a great fit.
And given that a wine’s body is closely
associated with its alcohol level, you can
quickly determine the weight by a quick
glance at the label – less than 12 percent
alcohol and you’re talking light-bodied,
12 to about 13 percent means mediumbodied
and more than that creates a
fuller-bodied wine. It’s pretty intuitive
from there. Light-bodied whites like Pinot
Grigio complement delicate fish dishes
while a medium-bodied red such as a cassisscented
Cabernet Sauvignon consummates
that char-grilled steak and French fries.
This rule is far more useful than simply
matching a wine colour to the food.
rule 4
trade up
Is there really a difference between a
$15 and a $50 wine. Absolutely. As
you trade up, you pay for better quality
fruit – which translates to cleaner
flavours – as well as more concentration,
complexity and length. Dining in with
friends, weekend dinners or whimsical
celebrations all call for a slow approach
to wine, which is good reason to trade
up. Mid-week pizza nights, weekend
barbecues and breezy cocktail-hours can
probably accommodate $15 bottles where
carefree quaffing is de rigueur.
Even for everyday wines, trading up
from a $10 bottle to a $15 bottle makes
sense when you consider the math. Taxes,
freight, duty and excise fees are fixed so
wine in that $15 bottle is worth a higher
percentage of the overall price than, that
in a $10 one. So, when in doubt, trade up
rule 5
buy from a trusted producer
Buying from a reliable producer means
quite simply, the wine won’t let you
down. And with California, the most
trustworthy producers are the names
behind the big brands like J. Lohr,
Kendall-Jackson and Rodney Strong.
Mondavi. Beringer. Clos du Bois. E&J
Gallo. Big brands deliver great value for
money, change very little year-to-year
and sport clear, recognizable labels. No
wonder they’re popular; they’re most
likely to bring thunder to your life.
HERE’S A CRASH COURSE IN THE MOST COMMON CALIFORNIA VARIETALS:
uNOAKEd CHARdONNAY: Mixed citrus and apple
OAKEd CHARdONNAY: Citrus with hints of vanilla, toast or butterscotch
PINOT GRIGIO: Neutral aroma with slight lemon and floral flavour
sAuvIGNON BLANC (also called Fumé Blanc): Lime, asparagus and gooseberries
wHITE zINfANdEL (pink wine from red Zinfandel grapes): Peach and strawberry
CABERNET sAuvIGNON: Blackcurrant, cassis and cedar
MERLOT: Cherry and dark chocolate
PINOT NOIR: Ripe raspberry and canned strawberries when young. Capable of
changing dramatically when aged, taking on flavours of caramelised meat
drippings, farm yard and truffle.
sHIRAz (also called Syrah): Blackberry, black pepper, dark chocolate and smoke
zINfANdEL (also called Primitivo): Blackberry, blueberry and peppercorn
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