FYI from the NYT
People who love wine generally consume more of it at home than anywhere
else. And regardless of the quality of their glasses or the extent of their
cellars, those who most enjoy wine at home share one attribute: a
commitment to drinking it.
Many people who profess to value wine break out bottles only on special
occasions, or on weekends. But people who really love wine think of it as
an ordinary part of their meals, like salt or bread. Regular consumption is
the single most important characteristic of the confident wine lover.
The benefits of commitment far outweigh a primer on proper glassware or
schematics for pairing food and wine. Drinking wine regularly develops your
critical ability and your sense of your own taste. And it helps answer the
crucial question: Do you like wine enough to want to learn more about it?
If you do like it, the repetition of pouring a glass with a meal becomes a
pleasurable learning experience, which in turn leads to a greater sense of
confidence. That, more than anything, improves the experience of drinking
wine anywhere.
Regular wine consumption does not mean you need to drink a lot. It could be
just a glass with dinner. Or a couple could share a bottle, which, like the
90-foot baseline in baseball, is just the right proportion: Two people can
generally finish a bottle happily rather than woozily. Either way, or
anywhere in between, regular drinking renders wine ordinary in the best
sense rather than extraordinary.
Some people may shy away from regular wine drinking as self-indulgent or
hedonistic, and they would not be wrong. Good food is pleasurable, and good
wine enhances that pleasure. But wine is not the end itself. Adding wine as
an ingredient of a good meal diminishes the need to focus on it.
For regular drinkers, wine is no longer a novelty. It’s simply a supporting
player in an ensemble cast that includes food and those with whom you share
it. You want good wine, of course, but good wine does not have to be
profound, attention-grabbing or expensive.
Exciting bottles are not hard to find for $10 to $20, although most are
closer to $20 than $10. If you are sharing the bottle among several people,
it does not add up to a great deal. Still, if drinking well at home
requires commitment, part of that commitment is financial.
But the investment does not have to be great, especially with equipment.
You could drink wine out of juice glasses if you wish, though the
experience improves greatly with good stemware, which doesn’t have to be
expensive. Similarly, you can spend hundreds of dollars on meticulously
engineered corkscrews
<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/20/dining/20pour.html?pagewanted=all&_r=2&>,
but a basic waiter’s tool for about $12 will reliably open anything.
You don’t need to own a lot of wine to drink it regularly. If you have a
mixed case of wine on hand — reds, whites and a sparkler or two — you don’t
need more. Replace as needed, preferably by becoming a regular at a good
wine shop and developing a beneficial relationship with a knowledgeable
merchant.
Don’t worry that wine will be ruined if you leave it in an open bottle for
two or three days. Wine, especially young, fresh wine, is sturdier than we
imagine, and so doesn’t require special pumps, stoppers or other
knickknacks marketed as preservers. Older wines are more fragile and should
be saved for occasions when they can be consumed in one sitting.
The time may come when, having decided that you love wine and want it to be
part of your life, you begin to buy a lot of bottles.
The wine itself is the most important investment, but to care properly for
the wine, especially bottles that you want to age, you will need long-term
wine storage. If you have a house with a cool, damp cellar, you’re in luck.
Just keep your wine there in whatever sort of shelving you choose. If you
live in an apartment, it will be worth getting a wine refrigerator (or
two), or off-site storage. Inevitably, loving wine costs money. But if you
love it, the money is well spent.
Email: asimov(a)nytimes.com. And follow Eric Asimov on Twitter: @EricAsimov.
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James Ellingson cell 651 645 0753
Great Lakes Brewing News, 5219 Elliot Ave, Mpls, MN 55417
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