As much as writers try to cut through the endless BS perpetuated by wine snobs, there’s still a lot of misleading info out there. Take the old story about sniffing corks. This age-old ritual only yields a snootful of cork and no revelation, yet lots of people still think they’re supposed to do it.
Myths about everything from wine storage to wine pairings abound, and people go on believing them because nobody tells them otherwise. Consider what follows a myth-busting forum:
MYTH: Red wine is best with red meat.
Although the protein in red meat can soothe a savagely tannic red wine, there’s no rule against drinking white wine. Don’t let the establishment lay guilt or shame on you; be the rebel. In fact, the creaminess of chardonnay is refreshing with a juicy grilled sirloin.
MYTH: Wine should be served at room temperature.
A long time ago when wine rules were born, room temperature in European wine cellars meant 62-66 degrees Fahrenheit. Here in the New World, room temperature falls in the low-to-mid-70s range and even higher in the South. But keep in mind that aroma and flavor of wine change radically at different temperatures, and too much heat kills off a wine’s subtleties and interesting characteristics. To demonstrate, try chilling a bottle of red wine for several hours (or better yet, freak out a waiter by asking for an ice bucket with your red). Taste it right after opening, then again every 10 minutes. As it warms up, different flavors will emerge. This is also pretty remarkable with white wines, which are often served way too cold in restaurants.
MYTH: All red wines can age.
Fact: 90 to 95 percent of all wines are meant to be consumed within the first two years after bottling. For the most part, the remaining age-worthy percentage includes cabernet sauvignon, syrah or grenache based wines, sturdy pinot noirs, some barrel-aged chardonnays, and dessert wines. Aging tames tannins and acidity and allows the natural fruit to come forward.
MYTH: “Reserve” and “Single Vineyard” wines are better than other wines.
In California, the word “Reserve” gets thrown around a lot, but there’s no official definition. This means Joe Blow’s Winery can slap the word on the label and charge extra for no reason at all. Although some wineries use it legitimately for their better bottlings, without official regulations to set quality standards, be wary.
Single-vineyard wines (those that feature the name of the vineyard on the label) may be trendy, but they don’t guarantee quality. These wines express the character of a certain vineyard—good or bad. Blending wines made from the fruit of multiple vineyards can actually improve a wine by balancing out its flavors and acidity levels.
MYTH: Rinsing your glass at wine tastings is a good thing.
I have no idea where this ritual came from, but there’s no need to rinse. Essentially, this exercise will only water down the flavor of the next wine. There is, however, one situation in which you’d want to rinse: if you’re changing from red to white wine—because the red will discolor and change the flavor profile of the delicate white.
MYTH: Opening the bottle lets the wine breathe.
Oxygen exposure can help tannic reds mellow out, but only if you pour the wine into a glass or decanter. Simply pulling the cork doesn’t do squat because the space between the bottle neck and the wine is too small to give the wine enough air contact. Fruity reds and most whites don’t usually need to breathe.
Taylor Eason is the wine columnist at Creative Loafing in Atlanta.
