sommelier society of america
The crispness of Autumn brings with it an oenophilic intrigue for yours truly... I am taking a course with The Sommelier Society of America. Founded in 1954, the SSA is the oldest organization in America, devoted to the education of wine. It offers a five month long seminar topped off with an ultra hard exam, replete with multiple choice questions with multiple right answers (read: what flavors comprise this grape varietal? a) flint b) moss c) citrus d) socks ) and blind tasting. Passing the exam allows one to join the society and confers a laurel of snobnoxiousness. Power corrupts and all, but I think I'll refuse that temptation, especially since it won't befit the performing monkey I'll become during dinners with friends. I can already feel it happening. (No, you couldn't possibly have sancerre with coq au vin!)
All pretentiousness aside, I invite you to learn along with me this fall. Each week I'll write a little snippet with tippets. To kick off:
Wine is essentially fermented grape juice. Rather simply put, there are three types of wines. Red, white and rose.
Red wine is made by juicing with the grape skin intact.
White wine is made by either juicing after red grape skin is removed, or by using only white grapes.
Rose is a curious beast - a proper rose is made by removing the skin shortly into the fermenting process (perhaps a few hours until desired color is reached), but plenty of wineries will mix white wine with a dash of red afterwards and call it rose.
1. You can make white wine out of red grapes (called blanc de noir) but you can't make red wine out of white grapes.
2. Don't smell the cork. It smells like cork. Not the wine. And it's a telltale sign of someone who doesn't know anything about wine.
3. Match weight for weight. A light meal goes with light wine. Seafood with white, red for boar or heavy tomoto sauce pasta.
4. "If it grows together, it goes together" (Edna Lewis). If you're eating Italian, go for Italian wine. South American food with South American - or as close as you can get it.
and - I can't resist slipping in a little thing about the bubbly:
The proper way to open a bottle of champagne is to remove the bale (the wire cage surrounding the cork), hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle (to keep air bubbles level), then hold the cork and turn the bottle. The bottle should open smoothly, without NASCARish celebrations.
Next week is about the components of wine and the technical aspects of tasting. I'll try to master the swirl and spit and will give a full report.
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