LET’S DRINK WINE: HERE’S A TID BIT ABOUT TASTE
Sunday, April 26th, 2009you are at www.garyjamesblogs.com
….ideally, if you open the bottle, re cork it, then let it set upright over night, you will typically find….
TASTE: I have tasted many dozens of wines. I am not an expert but I love to drink wine. My favorites are the Merlot and Cabernet blends from France, Argentina, Australia, and the Napa Valley of the USA.
I learned a secret from a French Chef. He told me the key to the complete taste of the “under $10.00 (US) per bottle” red wines is in how long you allow them to breathe before consumption.And not just a few minutes. I saw him open a bottle of Merlot, then immediately re cork it and then set the bottle upright on a shelf!
Seeing him do that caught my attention which led to my lesson because I had never seen any chef let alone a French Chef do such a thing.
He explained that ideally, if you open the bottle, re cork it, then let it set upright over night, you will typically find that the sometimes harsh slightly bitter after taste that can occur when you first open an inexpensive bottle will have faded, and the smooth full body flavor will remain.
I tried the procedure with the Napa Valley Robert Mondavi “Woodbridge” line of Merlot and Cabernet and discovered excellent results in taste.
Lately, I’ve been favoring an Argentina producer, Marcus James. The Merlot and Cabernets respond to the procedure just fine. I also tried the same process with the Marcus James Malbec grape because it was on sale for under $8.00 (US) for 750 ml. That wine responded very well to the procedure. The taste after it was re corked and set over night was soft yet full flavor, just right for nearly any meal.
The difficult part of this is to remember to open the bottle several hours before consumption. However, if you can remember, the difference in taste is well worth it.
Copyright ã Gary James 2009 all rights reserved