Wine For Dummies - Part 1

So, you’ve done the hard part... You’ve asked her on a date and you’re having the woman of your dreams (this could be the beginning of something big!) over to dinner - which you’ll cook, of course. You’re going to dazzle her with your charm, charisma, sophistication and intelligence. You’ll have a fabulous dinner with a bottle of your favourite wine... Hang on... What is your favourite wine? In that moment, while imagining your perfect date, you didn’t factor into the equation the fact that you don’t have a clue about wine! How are you supposed to serve a Chardonnay to your date when you don’t even know what it’s expected to taste like? Allow us to set your mind at ease. We’ve put together a list of all the major wine classifications with details of their tastes and what foods would complement that particular wine.

White Wines
Most white wine is made from white grapes - there are, however, exceptions to every rule. Wine gets its colour from letting the skin soak in the juice - a lighter colour (white wine) is achieve by limiting the amount of time the juice is in contact with the skins. Not allowing the skins to soak in the juice limits the amount of tannin in the wine. High amounts of tannin are the reason for the mouth-drying quality of a wine. The oak barrel in which a wine is stored can also contribute to the tannin in a wine. Now that we've covered the basics, let's have a closer look at the different varieties of white wine.

Riesling
Riesling (pronounced rees-ling) is a fresh tasting wine. Typically, this type of wine should have the aroma of fresh apples. Rieslings vary in taste depending on where they were produced – for example, a German Riesling usually has a slightly sweet taste but one produced in the Eastern USA will generally have a drier taste. Rieslings go really well with fish, chicken and pork dishes.

Gewürztraminer
Pronounced Gah-vurtz-tra-meener, this wine is very aromatic and sweet. The typical taste you would expect to encounter would be fruity flavours and the aroma is that of rose petal, peach, lychee and allspice. This wine is not as refreshing as some of the other dry white wines, but is ideal with Asian food, pork and grilled sausages.

Chardonnay
A Chardonnay (pronounced shar-doe-nay) is one of the most popular choices and is relatively dry. This wine has a wide-bodied flavour with a velvety feel. You can expect rich citrus flavours such as lemon and grapefruit and even a buttery tone such as vanilla, toast, coconut and toffee. This wine is an ideal partner to fish and chicken dishes.

Sauvignon Blanc
This particular wine (pronounced so-vee-nyon blah) is a versatile wine. Lighter than a Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc shows a herbal character. The flavours most dominant are apple, pear and gooseberry as well as melon, mango and blackcurrant. The foods best suited to this variety of wine are seafood, poultry and salads.

Chenin Blanc
A Chenin Blanc (pronounced shay-non blah) is a crisp balanced semi-dry to dry wine. This wine has flavours of apples, pears and tropical fruit and is a great choice when serving chicken, seafood and fish.

Now that you have an idea of the white wine selection you’re up against, you should find it easier to concentrate on your date rather than your lack of wine knowledge. Plan the meal you’d like to serve and then pick a wine to compliment that meal. Join us in Part 2 of our Wine for Dummies article when we take a closer look at Red Wine. Until then, good luck on that date!