Wines and SpiritsHelpful Wine tips
Most adults enjoy a glass of wine from time to time. It may only be during special occasions or Holidays, but ultimately, most will have to deal with opening or storing a bottle at one time or another. Here are some tips to help you when that time arrives.
Chilling your wine: A way to chill your wine faster is to add 1/3 cup of salt to the ice bucket. Salt water helps it to cool more quickly than tap water by at least 50%.
Headaches: Red wine can cause a headache because histamine is found in the skin of their grapes in a more concentrated amount. Take an anti-histamine about a half hour before drinking this particular beverage to help avoid the headache.
Stubborn cork: When it is difficult to remove the cork of your wine bottle, place the neck in hot water for ten seconds. The glass of the neck will expand temporarily and help loosen the cork for easy removal.
Serving with food: Oaked wines are best served with foods that are broiled, roasted, grilled or baked. When foods are poached, steamed, braised or cooked in clear liquids they are best with white wines or red wines with subtle oak.
Red wine stains: These can be removed with citrus based removers or a mixture of lemon juice, white vinegar and water will take the stain out due to their high acid content.
Storing wine in the refrigerator: Make sure not to store wine in the refrigerator for longer than two or three weeks because it begins to lose its flavor.
Champagne: Champagne and sparkling wines, when kept in the fridge, will keep their bubbles for up to 24 hours even after being opened.
Wine as gifts: Giving a bottle of wine or a wine basket is a great idea for a gift, especially for men. There are a variety of tastes, colors, packaging, baskets and wrappings to choose from. Wine gifts are considered elegant and are usually packaged with accessories or foods when given in a basket. Wine related items such as crystal wine glasses or wine gift certificates also make great gifts.