This week on WG TV Erin shares a fun overview from the first episode in the Wine in the Kitchen series – the Basics of Wine
Wine Girl to the Rescue
Do you have a question about wine or wine etiquette that you’d like to ask Wine Girl?
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Question: I’d love to have a go-to cheese and wine platter combo that I can quickly buy and serve. Any suggestions for wine/cheese pairings that are popular?
What a great question! I am sure that you are not alone in wondering about how to put wine and cheese together for events. Here are a few of my favorite ways to put wine and cheese together for when people are hanging out in my kitchen or dinning-room table.
For an easy pairing try putting out one large piece of cheese paired with wine that goes with it. Some of my favorite pairings are Mancheago with a Spanish Rioja, Reserva, Pecorino or Parmesan-Reggiano with Chianti, Old Cheddar with Cabernet Sauvignon, Brie with Champagne or Blue Cheese with Sauternes (For this one I like to drizzle honey over the cheese to bring a balance to sweetness – fabulous)
For a mix of cheeses there is rhyme that I use as a helpful tool – I am not sure where it came from – but it is very handy. The rhyme goes like this: something old, something new, something goat and something blue. It has been my experience that if you pick out a selection of cheeses following this rule then there will be something for everyone. For a go-to wine choice with cheese platters for a white wine I like a Sancerre (Sauvignon Blanc from France) or a Vouvray (Chenin Blanc from France) or a New World Chardonnay that is smooth and creamy. For a red style I think a nice Merlot, Pinot Pinot or Grenache are always food and people friendly and usually go over well in a group.
The one cheese that I usually keep in the house that I find goes with most wine styles is Gouda. I find it very wine and people friendly and you can always find some in my cheese drawer in my fridge just a little insider tip.
I hope this has answered your question and I will look forward to hearing how your wine and cheese platters turned out.
Question: I’m not a big white wine fan, but feel the reds are too heavy in the summer weather. How do I get the boldness of a red, but the cool crispness of a white in these hot, humid months?
Wine Girl: Hooray for warm summer weather and the need for refreshing, flavourful and crisp wine styles in the glass! This is a great question and I am sure you are not alone in wondering about it. I personally think that summer is a great time to try the many different flavours and styles of rose wines from around the world and I am sure that you will find a rose that will be everything you are looking for. Rose wines offer the best of both worlds: refreshing and cool yet filled with rich flavours.
Most rose wines are dry and not off-dry or sweet in style so they are very food and people friendly. They also come in a wide selection of colours from soft salmon to rich berry so they are also lovely to look at in the glass. Serve rose styles between 6 – 12 C and enjoy with fresh summer salads, cold chicken, and picnics just to give you a few ideas to start with. These wines are so versatile, that I think once you start enjoying them you will not be able to live without them, especially in the summer! Enjoy!
Question: I’ve been told that to properly decant wine, there should be 4 – 6 cm of foam in the decanter.
Wine Girl – While it is true that we decant wine quickly at times for aeration, which can produce a bit of foam, it is normally a small amount – and should never be the goal! Decanting for aeration is a quick process which just means that the wine is poured out to introduce oxegen into the wine – to give the wine a breath of fresh air!
The other style of decanting is to decant for sediment – to keep the chunks out!
Question: How long does wine last once it’s open?
Wine Girl: Unless you have a personal enomatic system at home, wine won’t last beyond 3 days.
*Wine Girl Tip: Freeze your wine to use it for cooking! I freeze wine into ice cube trays, so that I always have wine portioned for soups, stocks, stews etc!
