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Don’t throw them away

Tuesday, October 31st, 2006

Not the bottles…unless you’re avoiding the wino image which may plague you as it does me (See recycling post).

Keep your tasting notes!

When you attend a wine tasting at a restaurant, bar, or someone’s home, they will probably provide a list of the wines with ample space for writing. Even if you get stuck thinking of your own observations (it happens to us all), listen to what others say. When you agree with something, write it down. Then keep it in folder or notebook.

notes from '95 horizontal tasting
Trust me, you’ll thank me. It’s easy to forget what you’ve had and even more so what you thought about it. I’ve been to countless tastings in my time and could only find 6 or 7. Oh, if I knew then what I know now.

,

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To smell or not to smell (the cork)

Saturday, October 28th, 2006

Ordering wine in a restaurant can be fairly intimidating at times. If you have been given the daunting task of picking out the wine, not only do you have to pick a wine to please all palates, but you must give the go ahead that the wine is acceptable. Feel free to ask for suggestions.

After the order has been made and the server returns with the chosen bottle, all eyes may be on you. First look at the label and acknowledge that is your bottle. (Please do not continue talking as the server stands there patiently waiting.)

After the opening ceremony, the server will present the cork. If I can leave you with anything, let it be this: do not smell the cork. Only test its moisture with your thumb and fingers. Even then, the clues can be misleading. A cork can be brittle and crumbling or completely wine soaked, and the wine may still be fine. Better to smell the wine and then taste it, for that will tell you so much more.

At this point, you are checking to make sure the wine is not corked, cooked, oxidized or flawed in any other way. It’s not a matter of whether you like your choice or not. After all, it’s always a learning process, frogs to kiss, etc.

Give your nod of approval (if so deserved) and everyone can drink and be merry.

,

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This site is your go-to for answers about wine, courtesy of someone in the business. Firsthand knowledge and hours of research logged each week provide informed and impassioned suggestions for what wine to serve with meals (sometimes with recipes), places to go for education or fun, and what to buy or not buy. Wine Outlook is where you go when you’ve had too much to drink or not enough.

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