serving wine

If your white wine has not been stored in a cool place such as a fridge. chill it for 15 minutes in bucket of ice or ice water.

Serve dry white wine and champagne at about 10*c and dersert or sparling wines at 4*c

The flavour of young reds usually benefits from decanting the wine at least an hour before the meal, but decant mature wines an hour before serving.Uncork the bottle to air young ines for serveral hours and one or two hours for mature.
Old Burgundy, Chianti and Cótes du Rhóne are best served ar abot 18*c, most other red wines and Bordeaux at 16*c but young red Bordeaux at 14*c and Beaujolais at 11*c

Wine with food

There are some foods that do not combine well with any kind of wine; these include anything dressed with vinegar or large quantities of lemon juice, pickled foods, egg dishes, anything heavily spiced with chilli or curry, and chocolate.

When planning what wines to serve choose according to the sauces to be used and method of cooking.

• A sauce of white wine, cream and mushrooms, for example, needs to be eaten with an assertive white wine such as an "Entre-Deux-Mers" or a white Burgandy.
• Sauces made from horseadish or mint diminish the taste of fine wines - match them with a robust, everyday wine such as a Muscadet or a Dáo.
  
• Fried dishes or fatty meats need robust wines to cut across the fat and freshen the pallet; a white Spanish or Italian wine goes well with fish and a good red Burgundy goes with fatty Poultry

Basic dishes such as casserole or stew are best served with a straight forward red wine. Goulash for example is good with a strong red such as Hungarian Bulls blood; a white meat stew goes with a light red - a Merlot or Gamay, for example.

Serving Tips

Serve dry wine before sweet, because you are unlikely to enjoy the dry wine after eating or drinking something even slightly sweet.

If you are serving the same wine throughout the meal, offer young before old. Go from the lightest to the heaviest wines, always serve the finest last.

Shellfish are usually served with chilled dry white or Rose wines.

Fish dishes also go well with rose or pink wines. but depends on the flavor of the fish. fish of subtle flavour such as trout need a delicae wine such as an Anjou rose or a Riesling: stronger tasting fish need weightier wines such as a white Burgundy or Rioja.

Poultry can be accopanied by red or white wines in France duck and goose are frequently served with a red Burgundy or Bordeaux (claret), although they also go well with a Gewurztraminer or a Riesling.

As a rule of thumb choose the wine for the meat according to the strenght of the flavour and accompaniments - a light wine for lighter flavour and simple stuffing. a stonger wine for richer ones.

Alchol and Weight

1 bottle of wine(12%) = 8 S.D = 550 Calories = Hamburger + medium fries
1 pint cider = 2.3 S.D = 200 Calories = 1 packet of minstrels
1 pint beer/lager = 2 S.D = 165 Calories = Two thirds of a mars bar
1 pint stout(4.3%) = 2 S.D = 165 Calories = 5 Chicken McNuggets
1/4 bottle of wine = 1.8 S.D = 140 Calories = 1 Doughnut
1 longneck alchopop = 1.2 S.D = 200 Calories = Small McD's Fries
1 bottle beer/lager = 1.1 S.D = 95 Calories = 1 milkey way
1 small glass wine = 1 S.D = 75 Calories = 10g pat of butter
1 measure spirits = 1 S.D = 80 Calories = Digestive Biscuit
1/2 pint beer/lager = 1 S.D = 80 Calories = 2 finger kit kat
1 measure
cream liqueur = 0.5 S.D = 120 Calores = ½ cup of baked beans

**** SD = standard drinks

Wine of the week

this link will show you the wine of the week back catolog

http://www.blogcatalog.com/blogs/robertfranciswin/posts/tag/john%20wilson/

Poor mans Champagne

Acon Cagua Sauvignon, Central Valley, Chile 2008, 13%, €6.49.

Dunnes did well; plenty of decent wines, and one star, too. Light and crisp, with some Sauvignon character and a deceptively long finish. Good summer drinking with or without food. Stockist: Dunnes Stores.

Wally’s Hut Verdelho, South East Australia 2008, 13.5%, €6.99. I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this wine; it isn’t my style, but if you are a Yellow Tail drinker, it will be right up your street. Intense tropical aromas, bucket loads of bananas and custard on the palate, with a sweetish finish. To be drunk on its own. Stockist: Supervalu, Centra.

Mâcon-Villages Henri de Lorgére 2008, 12.5%, €7.69. Was I unfair to Aldi? I don’t think so; most scored at the higher level of acceptable, but lacked that spark to be classed as good. Decent well-made wine with light, but pleasant green apple fruits. A good all-rounder, best with plain fish dishes. Stockist: Aldi.

Santa Helena Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2008, 13%, €7.49. Both the Sauvignon and rosé from Saint Helena did very well; the rosé is a very decent grown-up wine with plenty of ripe redcurrants, cut through with some mouth-watering acidity. The finish is dry. This would do very nicely with summer lunches and light suppers. Stockists : Spar, Eurospar, Mace.

Cimarosa Pinotage, Paarl, South Africa 2008, 14%, €5.25. Very ripe, jammy, easy damson and soft cassis fruits, and a rounded finish. Unlike any Pinotage I have tasted, should do the trick for barbecues. Stockist: Lidl.

Tesco Shiraz, South Eastern Australia, 12.5%, €6.99. Seemed a little sweet, but otherwise very gluggable wine, with plenty of soft ripe damsons and cassis, a bit of power, and a sprinkle of spicy oak. Stockist: Tesco

Popolino IGT Siciliana 2008, 13%, €6.99. Very moreish light cherry aromas and fruit on the palate; a nice squeeze of acidity, too, making this the perfect wine to drink with all kinds of pasta and pizzas. Stockist: M&S

Classic Collection Côtes du Rhône 2007, 14%, €7. Superquinn let themselves down a bit by submitting a few jaded white wines from the 2007 vintage. I suspect fresher wines would have seen them score higher. But this was the wine of the tasting, and one of the best-value wines I have tasted all year. Rich, supple, rounded dark cherry and liquorice fruits that explode in the mouth. A steal at €7. Stockist: Superquinn.