Top Questions by Tom Black

Recently I was at a famous collector’s home for a wine tasting. The wine was fantastic but the music in the background was too loud and awful. I thought to myself, “He has Escoffier’s palate and Van Gough’s ear for music.”

Well, December is finally here, the last month of the year to drink wine. I always look forward to December for the finish of the year and the chance to see all my friends at parties. I love getting a tree and giving and receiving presents. However, I hate the wine most people serve at parties. There is good, even great, inexpensive wine. Get some help from your local retailer or me, but make an early New Year’s resolution, “No bad wine at parties I host.” Right now every person who appreciates good wine is applauding my request.

I have saved up the most frequently asked questions this year for this month’s column. Since my editor only allows me one page these will not be all the questions, just the top ones.

The most popular question I always get asked is, “What’s a good, cheap wine?” I do not recommend specific brands of inexpensive wine, but here are some clues. Your retailers buys what he thinks is good, not what you think is good. You have to know what you like. There is lots of vintage variation in the Old World (Europe) not so much in the New World. All inexpensive New World wine is made for immediate consumption (the exceptions prove the rule). Not true of the Old World. Vintners that make lots of wine with different quality levels and price points usually know how to make great wine and have pride that is reflected in their low end product. If the company makes a great top end wine, I’ve found their inexpensive wines also beat the top of the class. Not so for people who make only low end wine. Take all these facts together and you will find one that fits your palate and your pocket book.

The second most popular question I am asked is, “What wine goes with spicy food?” The honest answer is, if it’s really hot and spicy and you taste the heat after you swallow – drink beer. When it is really spicy hot, you are numbing your taste buds anyway so why bother? It’s like having a straight vodka or scotch before you order a great bottle of wine or eat a fine meal. Why muffle your instrument before you play? If you just cannot stomach beer but you still want your food spicy hot, think acid and sugar. Champagne, Gewurtztraminer or Riesling are all good bets. The sweetness and acid cut the heat and refresh your palate for the next bite. If your food is mildly spicy hot then you have more choices. Really what you are trying to do is refresh your palate and put a flavor in your mouth that compliments and enhances what you are eating. Think of wine as another portion of food on your plate. You probably would not put both rice and potatoes on the same plate or mashed potatoes with enchiladas. You get the idea. Think of your wine as just another food type and pairing will be much easier.

A third question I am asked a lot is about aging. Yes, I am getting older, although I feel ageless. Seriously, it seems lots of people want to know when to drink wine, when to put it down for later drinking, when it goes bad and how to figure these questions out. Well, aging is a matter of taste. If you like younger wines then do not store any. However, most wines improve with age. The question is how much age? Here are some general guidelines that you should temper with your own taste. Most wines under $30 you should drink within one year. California Cabernets, Merlots and Syrahs are going to be better five to fifteen years after the vintage date. They will be good for twenty years in most cases. California Chardonnays are probably good for at least five years and better too for the aging. French Pinot Noir called Burgundy are good based on their grading. Grand Crus taste better after five years and are good for at least ten. Village wines should be consumed in the first five years. Bordeaux (Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Verdot and Malbec) work the same. The higher the classification, the longer the wine should age. Grand Crus last for over thirty years. They are better after ten years. These wines deserve aging. Non-Grand Crus are still made to last up to ten years and are better after five.

Finally, why do I write this article each month? Kenneth Wilson expresses exactly how I feel, “The ecstatic heights of collecting can be reached only by sharing the pursuit with the like-minded companions. Inevitably, the things man collects inspire their own literature.” Have a great holiday season.