Part 1 - Glasses.  Where you will discover my personality disorder.

When it comes to the ultra-serious and incredibly important topic of enjoying wine, paying attention to details will make a difference.  This is as true at professional blind tastings as it is in a restaurant, or on a Saturday at home with friends. 

But first, I am ready to admit a personality disorder to you.

I am Miguel Lecuona.  And I am a wine nut.

There.

Let me state that I am surprised at how much I have to say about this.  I know, you’re surprised that I’m surprised.  But a recent party has left me examining my own behavior in these matters, and it’s time to confess. 

Consider the evidence of my disorder:

1. •I found myself offering unsolicited advice to a perfectly charming hostess about cleaning glassware.  In her own home. 
   

2. •I gifted a box of glasses to friends.  Not because they wanted them, but to make sure they had a good flute for a bottle of champagne I brought for the toast. 
   

3. •I rejected the sincerely proffered use of a colored, faceted piece of cocktail stemware for red wine.  I just couldn’t do it.
   

4. •I reflexively examined the storage conditions of the in-laws of this wonderful hostess and exclaimed my alarm at finding the 2000 Chateau Palmer stored at the top of the open-air wood rack.  I committed the sin of not moving the bottle, out of deferential respect not to the wine but to the property rights of the owner. 
   

5. •Finally, I refused to let the happy couple open a gifted bottle of wine because it was too young, this was not the right time, and under the right conditions.  It happened to be a bottle of 2005 Chateau Margaux.  It was handed to the couple from a sheepish but well-meaning friend like someone would press a bottle of Corona into your hand.  My friend, who is not a collector, looked at the wine, not realizing he was holding a $1,000 treasure, then looked at me.  After picking up my jaw from the floor, I immediately stepped forward, cradled the bottle, removed it from further harm, repairing it into a cooler with a small ice pack that I brought myself to keep the wine I brought for drinking at the right temperature.
   

 

And this is all in one night!

Needless to say, as Diane Keaton said to Al Pacino, “THIS MUST ALL END!”

No, not my interfering personality disorder. Look, if there are this many unforced wine errors in a single night -- in my presence! -- I can only imagine the horrors unfolding in homes all around the world.  Luckily, you know me, and with this newfound strength borne of my confession, you may now receive the benefit of my ridiculousness about these things.

We will cover this in 5 Parts, OK?

Fine wine is made for pleasure (setting aside mass produced for a moment, we can dream) by people who choose to do this for a living.  And who believe, sometimes naively, that you care as deeply as they do about what you are about to open.  I can tell you with perfect certainty that the stakes of your judgment on their wine are very high.  And this goes all the way to Chateau Margaux itself!  Before I was the amazing force in wine that I am now, I wrote directly to Margaux for advice about their wine for Christmas dinner.  I received a prompt, courteous reply directly from Paul Pontallier himself.  It was like hearing from Mr. Vuitton himself about which purse to carry to the opera. I conclude from this simple exchange that indeed, this is personal!

Just getting a bottle of wine to your table entails a huge chain of events, including acts of Congress and compliance with international laws for distributing alcohol.  Beyond that wonderful legal environment (see HR 5034 for a terribl, involving hundreds of people you will never meet, in lands you may one day visit.  From vineyards planted decades before, to painstaking care, treatment and feeding, to catastrophic weather events, finally to harvest, then a myriad of decisions in the wine cellar, followed by aging, storage, bottling.   Then comes distribution -- selling, stacking, shipping, re-shipping, and final storage for sale to you, at the retailer, or online.  If your precious bottles have run that gauntlet and arrived intact on your table, it's already an amazing accomplishment! 

So far your personal involvement has been financial (and perhaps emotional, but that's another story!).  Now, it's up to you to finish the job right.  Are you up to the task?  After seeing how it's done - right and wrong - many times, I come before you with a five tips to make every bottle as enjoyable as possible.

1.  Glasses

Ever poured a fresh bottle of champagne only to see it sit limp in the glass?  Where are the bubbles?  Champagne without bubbles is like an eagle without wings.  The Cowboys without Aikman.  Cubans without music.  My wife without Jimmy Choos?  (Hi love!)

Don’t blame the champagne.  Fire the dish washer. Hey, that was my first job!  

The first tip:  Do not wash your glasses with soap, and don't dry them with paper towels.  Soap leaves a coat on the glass, can cause champagne to go flat, and impart a chemical aftertaste, particularly to older red and more delicate white wines.  Wet paper is detected in aromas as a fault similar to a corked bottle. We had some friends over and, after handing out glasses for a dessert wine, one of them put her nose into the empty glass and said, “this smells like just a little bit of wet cardboard.”  She was French. But she was right!  And at pro tastings, the first thing you’re supposed to do is smell the empty glass.  If you detect anything, swap it out.  The embarrassed sommelier will be suitably impressed and not question you!

Solution:  Just use hot water and maybe a soft foamy brush.  Dry them on a rack, or with a couple of micro-fiber towels.  Target has great micro-fiber cloths in the auto parts section, and for a lot less than those at Williams Sonoma!

Which glass do I use?  A good glass that is every day friendly is the Schott-Zweisel Tritan Forte for red wine (about $60 for 6 on Amazon.com).  It is quite durable, has a thin rim, and is a great shape for most red or white wines.  You can use the same glass for most wines.  And, for special bottles (or keeping track of two different red wines on the same table), you can go with glasses intended for specific wines
(ie, round for Pinot, tall for Cabernet).  Riedel stems are more expensive, and more breakable, but they are faultless.

You wine is tasting better already.  And I am feeling more relieved! 

Next:  Temperature, wherein you learn what my favorite gifts are from my wife!