A Kitchen Can't Live Without It (part 2)
So continuing from part one. This time I want to focus on wine and glassware. For wine it comes down to really two things, make sure you have an easy to use, fool proof opener and one good glass to pour your wine in to.
I know you've seen the fancy openers with the lever, sometimes resembling a rabbit. These are good, but pricey. You are also familiar with the cork screw that you screw in to the cork, then pull down the arms on each side of the opener, these are inexpensive but they can tear up the cork very quickly. The easiest and most reliable way to get your bottle open is to learn how to use a waiter's corkscrew. They cost under 10 dollars for a quality one and you can find it at most wine shops. Once you learn how to use it well, you will never have to rely on anyone or anything else.
Check out this video. It will teach you how to properly use the waiter's corkscrew.
Great! You got your wine open. Which glass are you going to pour it in to? You probably have come across the glasses at crate and barrel that tell you they are perfect for a particular type of wine. If you can afford each variety, more power to you. However, I think all you need are two types of glasses. A red wine glass and a white wine glass. If you drink a lot of pinot noir, get the glasses that look like a large bowl, but again these are not as practical as the standard red cabernet glass. Check out the two examples.
The red wine glass on the left has a bigger bowl and narrower opening. The white wine glass on the right has a slightly larger opening.
One last thing to keep in mind. Make sure your whites are chilled well. Put them in the fridge an hour before you open them. For reds, you want these slightly chilled too. If you keep your reds in your kitchen, either on your counter or on top of the fridge, first thing to do is smack your left hand. Bad, very bad. Keep all your wine in a COOL, dark place. Make some space in your closet. Throw out those old Nikes, unless you want your wine to smell the same. Before opening that red, grab it, throw it in the fridge, not the fridge door, for about 10-15 min. Red wine should be consumed between 59-61 degrees. Just like it was when French monarchs had no heat to keep their castles warm. You'll realize how much of a difference this will make to your wine.
Now go... Find your red wine... Start practicing your waiter's corkscrew skills.
