At this time of year, as finals approach in tandem with a big slap in the face from below freezing wind chills, you may feel compelled to burrow inside a snuggie and your friend’s stolen Netflix account, ready for a marathon. This picture of course, isn’t complete without a beloved heart- and body- warming beverage — vino.
First up, etiquette. Think getting cozy under the covers with a bottle and your momma’s tacky mugs is going to cut it? Not today and not ever! Let’s get some basic wine etiquette down before setting off on our adventure of wonderful winter-ready wines.
For starters, the glasses. Red wine glasses should be full and round in the base of the bowl, and like a ripe large pear, the glass should gently taper to concentrate the sensual aromas of the wine. For white wines, the bowl will be a bit more shallow and the tapering will not be as drastic. Wine glasses should be used always when drinking good wines because they allow you to taste the wine fully.
Now, many of us have seen someone open a bottle of wine, only to let it ‘air out’ and have thought to ourselves “just drink the damn thing!” Well, this is a process called aerating, and it is key to enjoying young red wines. Opening a bottle up, pouring it into a decanter, and letting it take a big old breath loosens up the aromas and flavours. This is especially important for young wines, say under seven years old.
Now that we’ve dispensed with the pomp and circumstance, it’s time to drink! This winter, we are crushing on two excellent wine varietals: Riesling and Pinot Noir. Rieslings are a lighter-bodied wine (think a light snowstorm in the depth of winter covering your lawn in magic). It will cover your tongue in its refined structure — its ravishing delicacy made all the better with flavours of ripe melon, apricot, and peaches. This is a great pairing for your big family butterball dinner or for a nice secret santa with friends and copious amounts of baked goods!
Another lovely partner for a turkey-ham combination is the supple and silky Pinot Noir. This wine will entrance you with its flavours of baked cherries, warm plums, and chocolate. Pinot Noirs, like Rieslings, tend to have a lighter body, making them a good match for turkey and stuffing.
Wait a second…Cherries?… Plums?!…Chocolate?!? This sounds like the perfect wine for getting out of your snowsuit and getting warm with your special someone! Indeed, Pinot Noir is also a very sensual wine and provides a perfect transition from the cold to fogging up the windows.
Not in the mood for a cup of straight vino? No matter! Nothing says ‘exams are over’ quite like a pot of mulled wine. Mulled wine is wine that has been heated and reinvented with cinnamon, oranges, honey, Grand Marnier, and whatever else gets you going. It is a European tradition, and the best part is that whole snobbish thing about momma’s mugs doesn’t apply here. Bring out those tacky mugs you made for her in elementary school, or the ones your neighbour brought you back from Hawaii. Or just sip right from the pot! No judgement. We’ve all been there.
Get out your leopard print snuggie, sip from a friendly pot of mulled wine, and drift off into what winter break is all about. See you all back in the spring! (P.S. when we mentioned the tacky mugs your neighbour gave you, we were kidding. Throw those out. Like now.)
