Things You Should Know by 50...

There are certain things you simply should know by the time you hit 50. How to choose a moisturizer for your skin type; how to know when your husband wants to see you in naughty lingerie instead of flannel; and how to order wine in a nice restaurant. You SHOULD know, but do you? With the great work of the California Wine Council in recent years, we’re all drinking more wine - yet many, many women still don’t know how to choose a wine, how to order it correctly in a restaurant, or what to do with it when they get it.

If you entertain often, it is essential to have several good bottles of both red and white wines on hand, along with your everyday drinking wines. Everyday drinking wines are the ones that you don’t have to ration at ½ glass a day in order to be able to afford them. I have searched and tested and searched some more to find the very best values in both good and everyday wines – just for you.
Good Cabernets at a reasonable price are fairly uncommon, although I do like Sterling Vineyards Napa Valley Cabernet and Chateau St. Michelle “Indian Wells” Columbia Valley. For a great bargain Cab there’s Jacob’s Creek from South Eastern Australia. Some Chilean Cabs offer good values, too, but you’ll need the assistance of a knowledgeable wine salesperson to help you find them.

I love good Zinfandels, and they are much more affordable than Cabs. Murphy Goode’s Liar’s Dice, Norman’s The Monster, and Seven Deadly Zins are all around $15 and enjoyable to drink. I drink Pinot Gris in the summer – usually King Estate. It is light, crisp and refreshing.  And I really enjoy Acacia Chardonnay with its combination of fruit and oak.

It’s important to learn what you like in a wine so that you can describe it accurately. I’ve had friends describe a very dry Zinfandel as “sweet” because the wine is “fruit forward."  Wines can be “earthy”, “spicy”, “firm”, “muscular” – much like the men we searched for in our youth.

White wines, like Rieslings, are often sweet, while Sauvignon Blancs are bone dry whites with lots of fruit flavors that make them light and refreshing. Wines have flavors of chocolate, berries, citrus, black pepper…even stones. I rarely get the subtle overtones of coffee or licorice when I am enjoying a good Zin. I have learned that the Zins I especially like are “big," “complex” and “jammy."  So that’s what I tell the helpful wine purveyor when I’m shopping for something new.

It takes time to learn the subtle nuances of wine, and you can never learn about all the wonderful wines out there – there are just too many. So how do you buy wines you will like?  Learn, as I did, the basic characteristics you enjoy in wine. Learn enough about the options to know what you should have on hand, and ask lots of questions. When you are ordering in a restaurant it’s actually easier than buying in a liquor store. There are three simple, foolproof methods to ordering perfectly for a group:

1. Ask the waiter. If you’re in a nice restaurant the waiter should be familiar with the wines on the wine list. Ask your guests what they will be eating, then tell the waiter your entrée choices and ask for a recommendation. He/she should be able to recommend a wine that will go with the entrée choices.
2. Remember – light foods, light wine; heavy foods, heavy wine. If you are eating salads, fish or chicken, a light white wine, such as Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio – (same thing), Sauvignon Blanc or a medium-bodied Chardonnay would be a refreshing accompaniment. A heavy, oily fish, like salmon requires something more full-bodied. If you’re eating steak or lamb, a red wine like Pinot Noir or Shiraz will compliment the food better. If you don’t know wine, don’t order heavy reds, like Cabernets. They can overwhelm many foods, need more time to breathe than other wines, and sometimes haven’t aged long enough to be palatable to a casual wine drinker. You don’t want the wine to become the focal point of the meal, so play it safe and go with wines that are very drinkable. Look at the prices on the wine list and choose one of the wines mentioned in #2 that is somewhere in the middle price range. The cheapest wine could be awful – the most expensive is not necessary.
3. Order a glass of whatever wine you would like and ask your guests what they will be having. When the waiter brings your bottle to the table for approval, actually look at it and make sure it is the wine you ordered. Restaurants will generally not switch brands of wine without telling you, but it is not at all uncommon for them to switch years of the same wine because they have run out of the year you requested. The wine they bring you could be worth considerably less than the wine you ordered. If there is a question in regard to the year you ordered, don’t hesitate to ask for the wine list back. You have just as much right to receive the right wine as the right entrée!

Once you have approved of the bottle, the waiter will uncork the wine. More sophisticated waiters will simply set the cork on the table. Others may hand you the cork, and stand there expectantly. If you feel like smelling the cork, go ahead, but unless the wine is in very bad shape (or you are wine expert Robert Parker), you are not going to be able to tell much. Instead, first look to see that the cork is not crumbly or soaked completely through. Either could indicate a problem with the wine. Second, check to see if the name of the winery is on the cork. Believe it or not, some of the more expensive wines are actually counterfeited, i.e., the wine is served, then the bottle is refilled with a cheaper wine and re-sealed (truthfully, your chances of this happening are about the same as being hit by lightning). If you do notice anything that looks peculiar about the cork, speak up! 

Next, the waiter will pour a small amount of wine for you to taste. Before you taste it, smell it! If the wine is bad, you will often be able to tell just by the smell – you do not want to taste a bad wine unless you have to – the taste is very hard to get out of your mouth. By the way, a “bad” wine does not necessarily taste like vinegar. More often it will taste strongly of must or mold (again, the chance of getting a bottle that has gone bad is fairly remote). Generally, it is not acceptable to send a wine back simply because it is not what you expected, or you are not crazy about the taste. Unless the waiter has pushed an unfamiliar on you, the assumption is that you have some idea of what you have ordered. Bear in mind that a wine (particularly a red) that is fresh out of the bottle will often taste very different 15 minutes after it is opened.  So when you are offered the taste, just take a small sip simply to determine that the wine is not bad.  Whites can be drunk immediately, but with a “big” red (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon), have the waiter pour some in the glasses to breathe for ten minutes or so.  You’ll be amazed at the difference.

Never, ever be intimidated by wine. It’s a wonderful treat to be enjoyed, and, except for a very few connoisseurs, we’re all in the learning process. Who knew education could be this much fun!

Comments

[Rita]

I think the last point is the best - never be intimidated! Even wine snobs don't know it all!

[Molly Brown]

Speaking of wine, every one of us must go to Italy to verify our tastes in wine and for that matter, our tastes in Italian food. I'd say men, but those Italian men are married and Catholic, so we won't go there. For about $2300 including the hotel and flight, you can sample real wine and Italian food for one week. Every one of us past 50 (and some of us nearing 55, I can't believe it!) deserve to treat ourselves to such a trip. Do not make excuses. Go now!

I went with my 22 year old daughter and thoroughly enjoyed Rome, food, wine, hisotry, religion, etc.

Molly