Us Brits love a tipple.
And when we’re feeling cultured and sophisticated, perhaps we’ll drag out the wine – even if it’s a bottle that cost a couple quid from Aldi.
But whether you’re a more refined wine drinker or a casual slurper of a pinot, merlot or even a Lambrini, you might have been enjoying the booze wrong all this time.
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After visiting Humble Grape for a wine and food pairing crash course, Daily Star learnt some secrets from a top notch sommelier – and it puts us Brits’ drinking habits to shame.
(Image: Layla Nicholson)
The sommelier told us: “So do you choose wine first or the food first? Well, normal people choose food first then the wine. Abnormal people choose the wine first and build the meal around the wines.
“Normally we start with sparkling wine, like a bottle of prosecco. Then, we order the starters and if you pick a wine that doesn’t necessarily match the food, it’s fine. But you can eat the food, have a sip of water and then enjoy the wine.
“Enjoy them separately. Sometimes pairings aren’t going to work. Pairings are going to work for some of you, but not for others. So food and wine pairings are very personal, but there are some rules to help match better.”
But, how do we understand what wine we’re dealing with? Well, to help pair food and wine you’re going to want to give your wine a good sniff and swirl first.
Isn’t that just the theatrics of upper class wine drinkers? Looks like it does have a purpose. The sommelier continued: “So why do we swirl the wine in the glass? It does help release all of the aromas from the wine so we can smell it a lot easier.”
(Image: Layla Nicholson)
Giving your wine a good swirl, a sniff followed by a swish in the mouth and then breath through your mouth – without spitting it out in the process.
Although it might look a bit fancy and pointless, it means you’ll get the most out of your wine and unleash the flavours instead of just gulping it down and being done with it.
The expert at Humble Grape shared: “Did you notice how much more of the wine you’re able to taste when you do that? That’s why when you see us – sommeliers and wine professionals doing that – it is for that reason. You can maximise the aroma and flavours in the wine.”
So, once you’ve got the swirl, sniff, swish and breathing down then you’ll look like a wine master and be ready to understand what flavours go with what grub.