Best White Wines To Serve At A Dinner Party
Joseph
Filed under White Wine
When deciding on which type of wine to serve at a dinner party, most hosts choose red wine over white wine, thinking that this is the better choice. While red wines may be the more popular choice, this does not mean that whites are of lesser quality. In fact, there are several dry white wines out there that are just as good, if not better, than red wines for serving at a dinner party. Here are some of the tips you can follow when looking for the best white wines to serve at your next dinner party.
Criteria for Choosing Your White Wine
One of the first things that you should ask about when choosing white wines is where they have been fermented. Typically, wines are fermented or aged either in traditional oak barrels or the less expensive oak staves. To the uninformed, there may not seem to be much difference between these two options but when it comes to flavor, there is actually a huge disparity between white wines that have been aged in oak barrels and those that have been aged in staves. Without question, the ones that were fermented in oak barrels have a much richer flavor and are of better quality. Because of the higher cost of using oak barrels, these wines may be slightly more expensive but the added cost is certainly worth the difference in taste and quality.
Unfortunately, not all wine manufacturers indicate the place of fermentation in the label, in which case many people resort to guesswork as to which ones might be the better wine. But instead of taking this risk, it is much better to ask around first before making a purchase. Usually, even the clerk at regular wine shops will be able to help you determine which varieties are better than the others.
If you are shopping for white wines specifically for serving at a dinner party, it might also be a good idea to familiarize yourself first with what your guests prefer. There’s no point in buying a case of a certain type of wine that none of your guests will be able to appreciate. Generally, younger people tend to gravitate towards new world wines, which are sweeter and have fruitier flavors. Older folks on the other hand typically like old world wines, which are more subdued and are not as sweet and fruity. But if you are hosting a rather large party with a good mix of different types of people, it would make perfect sense to buy an equal number of old world and new world white wines.
Everything You Need to Know about Wine Coolers
Joseph
Filed under Wine Coolers
Most wines taste best when stored between 52 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit, and in order to keep wines at these ideal temperatures, it is necessary for most people to store them in a wine cooler. In a way, these are pretty much like wine racks because they function as efficient containers for the wines. But unlike regular wine racks, wine coolers are closed containers with a regulated internal temperature. They usually come with a glass door, which allows you to display your wine collection even while in storage.
Various Types of Wine Coolers
Just as there are many different types of wines out there, there are also a lot of different types of wine coolers you can use for storing and cooling your wine collection. The most common ones are those that are small enough for placing on counter-tops or a table. But if you have a fairly large wine collection, or if you are planning to start collecting wines in the future, you might want to invest in a larger cooler, which is quite similar to a regular refrigerator. Before making a purchase, you should first think about where you plan on putting your cooler, just to make sure that there is adequate space and that it would look good with the rest of your existing furniture.
Although wine coolers come in many different styles and designs, what they all have in common is the manner in which the wine bottles are stored, which is lying on their sides. The individual shelves are also all sloped upwards towards the rear, with a stopper in front to keep the bottles from falling off. This keeps the cork immersed in liquid, keeping it from shrinking and falling into the bottle, which may happen if the wine bottles are stored right side up.
At this point, you may be wondering whether it is really necessary for everyone to have a wine cooler in their home. Unless you live in a particularly cold climate where the regular room temperature doesn’t rise higher than 65 degrees Fahrenheit, the answer is yes, you do need to get a cooler to keep your wines in optimal condition. This will not only preserve their original taste but prevent spoilage as well.
Wine coolers are not that expensive, with the ordinary tabletop designs costing just about a hundred dollars or even less. Of course, there are also more expensive varieties like the built-in ones and those that have much larger capacities, which can cost up to a thousand dollars, but unless you are a serious wine collector, you don’t really have to buy these luxury pieces.
