Explore More - 2018

Become a WINE EXPERT A

Become a WINE EXPERT A cruise is a fantastic opportunity to expand your palate and learn more about wine. Here are some tasting tips from Helen McGinn Wine can be a confusing subject. For a start, there is so much choice. Can you imagine going into a grocery store and having to choose between 1,000 different types of cereal that all look similar apart from the label? Then there is the subject of food and wine matching. There seem to be a lot of “unofficial rules,” such as white wine with fish, red wine with meat. But I do not think that is strictly true. In fact, getting it right is pretty simple. First, think how you might match the colors of your clothes. Some combinations are safe, some a little more daring. The same goes for matching food and wine. There are some tried and tested combinations, but every now and again it is worth experimenting a little, mixing it up and maybe discovering something that tantalizes the taste buds. If there is one rule to remember, it is this: think about the weight of flavor of the food and try to match it with a wine of similar weight. By weight, I mean the body and fullness of the wine. Is it light, medium or full-bodied? You know how you can detect the difference between nonfat or regular milk? Wine is the same. And it needs to be able to cope with the dominant flavor of the food. How it is cooked—steamed, fried or roasted—will call for different weights. The idea is that you will be able to taste both the flavors in the food and flavors in the wine. Crisp wines with lots of acidity help cut through oily, salty or creamy foods. A touch of sweetness in wine is great when it matches the sweetness in a dish, especially desserts. A crisp white is going to be lost on a big beef casserole. And a rich, oaky red will all but destroy the flavors of a light fish dish. Fish Generally, a dry white works best. Chablis is a classic match given its crisp acidity, but sauvignon blanc works well too. If you have smoked salmon on your plate, then something with lots of acidity is going to help cut through it. The answer? Champagne, darling. And for fuller flavored fish like tuna, then not-too-tannic reds like pinot noir are brilliant, especially from Burgundy. Chicken Depending on how it has been cooked and what it is served with, the possible combinations are endless. For a simple roast chicken, chardonnay works well, as does Sémillon and Viognier. But if you have got all the trimmings on your plate, it is much better to go for a light to medium-bodied red, like Gamay from Beaujolais. 122 EXPLORE MORE 2018

WINE Red meat Choose a wine with more weight and flavor, but be aware that very tannic reds, like amarone, can clash with fat. With pork belly, something from the Rhône valley or southern France will work well. Cabernet sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz are red meat–friendly, but try going local; that is, match the wine with the style of the dish—Italian to Italian, French to French and so on. Vegetables Think fresh flavors. Tomatoes with sauvignon blanc; asparagus with a dry German Riesling, particularly one from the Moselle-Saar-Ruwer region; pinot grigio goes well with a simple salad. And do not forget about rosé wines—their often slightly more robust but fresh flavors complement food well. As for herbs, rosemary loves red, basil prefers white, mint likes a Muscat, and for thyme, save some of that rosé, especially if it is from Provence. Spicy food Reach for a slightly off dry German Riesling (although decoding a German wine label is not always easy). Another good one is Gewürztraminer, especially those from the Alsace area in northeast France. Another great dry white option is Grüner Veltliner, which is a peachy Austrian dry white. If your dish has lots of different spices, try a fruity red, but nothing too oaky. Puddings Generally, sweet food needs sweet wine. Sweet Muscat wines are a dream with chocolate desserts, and citrus desserts are better off with anything that is botrytised (otherwise known as noble rot: think Tokay or Sauternes). My all time favorite match for a slab of dark chocolate is a fortified wine from the South of France, from Maury or Banyuls. If there is any prosecco left from before dinner and you have gone for a lighter fruit dessert, grab the leftovers. Cheese Again, there are so many possibilities, but blue cheese tends to work best with sweetness (think port, especially tawny or Sauternes) and hard cheeses with firm reds. Bordeaux reds are a dream with strong, hard cheese. And if you love goat cheese, try it with sauvignon blanc, especially Sancerre or Pouilly-Fumé. It is that local rule again, and it always works. ABOUT HELEN MCGINN: Helen is the author of the blog and book The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club (Amazon.com). She spent almost a decade as a wine buyer for a big grocery store and has a weekly newspaper column. Go online: You can find out more about wines from around the world at vikingcruises.com QUIZ How well do you know your wine? 1. WHAT GIVES RED WINE COLOR? AThe red varieties of the grape BThe skins of the grapes CThe fruit flavors 2. SAUTERNES WINES ARE TRADITIONALLY… ASweet BDry CSharp 3. WHO INTRODUCED GRAPE VINES TO ENGLAND? AThe French BThe Spanish CThe Romans 4. WHICH WINE REGION PRODUCES THE MOST WINE ANNUALLY? AFrance BItaly CSouth Africa 5. HOW MUCH WINE WOULD YOU FIND IN AN IMPÉRIALE BOTTLE? AFour liters BSix liters CEight liters 6. IN WHICH COUNTRIES ARE THE FOLLOWING SPARKLING WINES PRODUCED? AChampagne BCava CProsecco 7. WHAT IS THE OFFICIAL WORD FOR A WINE CONNOISSEUR? AOenophile BWinophile CGrapophile Answers: 1. b), 2. a), 3. c), 4. a), 5. c), 6. a) France, b) Spain, c) Italy, 7. a) EXPLORE MORE 2018 123