How about a glass of wine, Sunshine?

Late last night I ventured out in the storm, braving the snow covered roads and a swarm of drivers apparently new to michigan, and seemingly having no experience with winter driving. Why you ask?

Girls night in!

There were hors d'oeuvres, summaries of the week, details of exciting new relationships, and of course, wine.

Which got me thinking about, well... wine. 

My mother is somewhat of a wine aficionado. I, on the other hand, choose our beverage for the night based on the design on the label. (Or occasionally a cutesy name.)

Sophisticated... Right?

So here it is. 

Wine 101

There are different types of wine: 

Red

White

Rose

Sparkling

Dessert

Fortified

Each of these types has different types.

Most commonly recognized:

Red- Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir

White- Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Riesling

Rose- Pinot Noir, Cabernet

Sparkling- Champagne

Dessert- Muscat, Moscato

Fortified- Port, Sherry

That's a lot of wine. 

Ok. So what's the difference?

Wines are named after the type of grape used (United States) or the region where they are grown (Europe). For example, for a Champagne to be a real champagne, the grapes have to be grown in Champagne, France.

Different grapes, different flavor.

So taste?

This one is easy. 

Read the bottle. 

Most wine bottles will have a description of the wine. For a newbie, I've found this to be invaluable.

What to serve when?

Check out this chart for pairing suggestions

How to serve?

-Red- 

about 65 degrees (cool but not cold)

-White- 

Pinot Grigio- 35-40 degrees (refrigerate an hour and a half) 

Chardonnay- 55 degrees (refrigerate an hour and a half, but bring out half an hour early to warm up a little)

-Rose-

35-40 degrees (refrigerate an hour and a half)

-Sparkling-

totally chilled

refrigerate an hour and a half or ice bucket twenty minutes

-Dessert- 

refrigerate an hour and a half, twenty minutes of warming up

-Fortified-

55 degrees 

*a wine cellar is kept at 55 degrees

Well I hope this helps as a little (read- basic) guide for your next girls night.

Cheers!

What is your go to girls night bottle?