Wine Lovers: Open Your Mind to Wine
So you’re thinking, “You silly woman. My mind is very open to wine. I am a wine lover! I have my glass of red wine every night.” Exactly.
This spring, Walla Walla wineries release their newest wines and the wineries will be filled throughout the summer with wine lovers. So do me a favor — the next time you walk into a winery and the tasting room staff asks if you would like to taste its chardonnay (or sauvignon blanc, semillon, riesling, etc.), don’t point your nose to the fl oor with eyebrows raised, hissing, “We only do redssss.” Open your mind. Try it.
At one time, I was just about as guilty as Mr. and Mrs. I-Only-Do-Reds when it came to trying a white or off-dry wine. There was a time I wouldn’t drink a glass of semillon even if it was the last alcoholic beverage on Earth. The semillons I fi rst cut my wine teeth on were a bit over-oaked for my taste. But later I discovered semillon blended with sauvignon blanc was a great summer wine or a perfect pairing with platters of cracked crab. And as I began to taste more, I discovered how aromatic and layered with fruit fl avors they are.
There was also a time when someone mentioned fruit or “country” wines, such as pear or cherry, I would turn up my nose. A year ago, I learned a valuable lesson. I was a judge for one of largest wine competitions in the Pacifi c Northwest, and one afternoon my panel had to taste a couple of fl ights of fruit wines. Blackberry! Cherry! Cranberry! Oh my! I had to be honest with my fellow judges that I wasn’t a fan of sweet wines and probably wouldn’t give any of the wines a medal. However, I needed to do my job. So I asked a couple of my fellow judges who made fruit wines in their early winemaking days, “Exactly what makes a good fruit wine?” Once I learned what to look for, I had a different view and an appreciation for the winemaker’s craft. In fact, I assisted in giving a gold medal and best of show to a cranberry-raspberry wine. Would I drink it now? You bet, and it would make a great pairing with a turkey or Monte Cristo sandwich. That was a lesson: Not only did I swallow a few sips of non-grape wine; I also swallowed my pride.
Maybe it is a specifi c red wine you don’t like, say, cabernet sauvignon? Open your mind. Try it. Every winemaker has his or her own style and someday you may fi nd a cabernet that your palate enjoys.
You know who you are: the person who hyperventilates when he sees a bottle of white wine or a rose in your wine club shipment. Try it. A chilled offdry riesling can cool down kung pao chicken or a spicy curry dish, besides enhancing and bringing balance to the entree. Think beyond the wine in the glass.
Any off-dry or late harvest riesling, gewuerztraminer, or muscat sprinkled over fresh berries or peaches is a sure way to get the daily recommended amount of fruit in your diet.
And about that rose. Don’t let that delicate pink color fool you. A cool, crisp rose can hold up to any charcuterie platter of cured meats and artisan sausages. And don’t forget the barbeque. Open your mind to wine and reap the rewards.
