Wine Manners
How to drink wine without embarrassing yourself, and the grapes worth knowing
Always hold the glass by the stem, never the bowl.
Smell the wine, slowly and register all the flavours you recognise.
When drinking, move the wine all over the inside of your mouth, including under the tongue. Also, take in some air with the wine in your mouth to aerate it and release more aromas and flavors.
When you swallow the wine, pay attention to how long you can taste it afterwards. The longer the finish, the better the wine.
Savoring wine at a dinner party shouldn't be an auditory experience. All that slurping and gurgling and imitating winemakers -- that's a little off-putting. And drink your fair share. Don't be a wine hog.
If you're bringing wine to a dinner party, pick one that matches your host's tastes, interests and level of wine knowledge.
That sweep of an arm and your host's tablecloth, and possibly your neighbor’s silk dress, is splashed with red wine. Don't get up and lunge for the falling glass, head for the kitchen instead to get a sponge, some salt and soda water to mop up the stain unless the host tells you to please stay seated. Do apologise.
If you are the host, be sure to use pristinely clean glasses. Avoid using your wine glasses for ice cream or other dairy products, or you may never get the milk smell out of them.
Arrange glasses on the table in the order they'll be used, working from right to left. The water glass goes to the left of the wine glasses.
Wine tongue twisters
Gewürztraminer (Guh-VERTS-tra-MEE-ner): In German, this word means “spicy grape from Tramin,”
Lagrein (La GRINE): Indigenous to the Alto Adige region, wines made from Lagrein have color and flavor intensity similar to that of a Syrah.
Viognier (Vee-ohn-YAY): Originating in France, this grape produces exotic wines that evoke comparisons to perfum—in a glass
Moschofilero (Moss koh FEE leh roh): Greece offers fantastic wines made with local grapes—many of which can be had for incredible bargains.
Torrontés (Tor-rahn-TEZ): Though Argentina is famous for its Malbecs, don’t ignore their white wines
From the November 2010 issue of FHM India.
Spotted a mistake, or your photo used without permission? Report a correction
in your inbox