Monday Top Ten: Tips on wine

Wine and the Central Valley go hand in hand, whether you’re out enjoying the numerous tasting opportunities at stores and vintners in the region or planning a party or dinner at home.

Tom Bender, an adjunct instructor in Columbia College’s culinary arts program, teaches several wine and restaurant-related classes. He also manages the wine department at O’Brien’s Market on Dale Road in Modesto, where he conducts regular wine tastings.

“The delights of experiencing a wine tasting are numerous and do not require any special qualifications,” Bender said in an email. “Enjoying time with friends, utilizing your senses and being open to trying something new are just a few of the pleasures associated with sampling a selection of wines. Whether it is a winery experience, a regional event tasting or a brown-bag blind evaluation at home, keep in mind that we all taste flavors differently, are entitled to our own likes and dislikes and should taste for the fun of it.”

Here are Bender’s Top 10 tips to keep in mind when you organize a tasting or multiple-course dinner with wines:

1. Wine service sequence – Depending on what you are tasting, try to arrange the order of your wines from dry whites to sweeter-style whites, followed by lighter reds to heavier, full-bodied reds, and finally sweeter dessert wines.

2. Bubbled beginnings – If you are staging a blind tasting or wine dinner at home, a dry sparkling wine is a great welcoming starter while guests gather and you explain the nature of the tasting. Be sure to have ample water for guests while they consume the wines.

3. Glassware – It’s fun having multiple glasses when doing a comparative tasting. But that requires being seated, extra glasses and a more structured approach. If you go with one glass, keep it medium in size with a nice bowl design for swirling. It is not necessary to do a water rinse between tastes. Water in a wine glass can change the wine, as well as leave off aromas.

4. Wine temperature – Sparkling wine or champagne always should be well chilled, while white wines for evaluation or education show better with just a slight chill. Reds are best served at room temperature or close to 65-70 degrees.

5. Old before new – If you have a number of different vintages of the same type of red wine, I find it best to start with the oldest wine and work your way to the younger, fresher examples. If you are opening an old red, keep in mind these wines can change quickly. Tired bottle? Have a newer backup nearby.

6. Use your senses – Visual appearance, smells and taste all are part of an informative wine exercise and conversation point. You do not need to have an expansive wine vocabulary to describe what is in the glass. But this is a big part of identifying characteristics of a particular wine. Discuss the wines in comfortable, casual conversation.

7. Careful consumption – It is a good idea to have a dump bucket nearby so guests aren’t feeling obligated to finish the wine. And if it is an extensive lineup, it is OK to taste and use a spit cup or bucket.

8. You are what you eat – Be careful of eating or serving certain foods before or with your wine tasting. French bread or neutral crackers are best, along with “keep it simple” cheeses, green olives and mildly seasoned proteins. Avoid spicy foods, some fruits and veggies such as asparagus, artichokes and raw bell peppers. Try doing a tasting before a meal and then finish the wines with dinner, noting their changes.

9. Check your surroundings – Keep the room temperature around you cool and comfortable. Go easy on strong perfume and colognes, which can also challenge your senses. Outdoor tastings can be pleasant except on a warm day.

10. Record your experience – Have a pencil and note paper available for writing down names of wines and comments. If you are conducting a blind tasting, ask your guests to jot down their thoughts on each wine for a possible vote for the favorite or guess on particular wine type.

This story was originally published August 21, 2015 at 1:56 PM with the headline "Monday Top Ten: Tips on wine."