And now, for a practical post that has nothing to do with the enjoyment of wine, and everything to do with making sure an accidental wine spill doesn’t ruin your evening. What do you do if you spill red wine on your clothes (or a guest’s), or on the carpet? Despite all of the wine consumed in my home, I have yet to acquire a single stain anywhere, even after overconsumption. And now I’m going to share my secrets with you.
Basically, what you do depends on what you spill it on. Here’s a rundown of each trick so you can’t go wrong.
If you spill on…..
Your Clothes
In most cases, the stain can be pre-treated. Simply add a teaspoon of dish soap to a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Dab this mixture onto the stain with a sponge. Then wash the item either in the washer in cold water, or by hand. Then air dry. And Presto! The exception is if the item of clothing is dry clean only. In that case take it straight to the cleaners.
Soak a sponge in warm water and blot the spot to dilute it. Then apply some talcum powder to the stain. Let it stand for a few minutes, then brush it off. Repeat if necessary.
The Carpet
Well, in that case, you’re out of luck. Nothing can get a red wine stain out of a carpet.
Just kidding. It’s actually almost identical to what you do with clothes. Mix one teaspoon of dish soap with one cup of hydrogen peroxide. Then use a sponge to apply this to the stain. Blot dry with a cloth or paper towels.
At least that’s what all the experts on the internet say to do. If you have come across a better method, leave it in the comments below, and you too will become an internet expert as well!
I can’t wait to experience a actual wine stain disaster just so I can thwart it without batting an eye.
And now for our first ever installment of our monthly feature, Best Wine On Little Dime. My goal for this series will be to help you all explore a new wine grape variety or region on the cheap. I’m setting a VERY strict $10 price limit, which will be a good challenge, as it will allow us to explore more wines more economically.
For my first value pick of the month I decided to look for a good example of the grape variety Sauvignon Blanc, since my wine region featured this month was Sancerre, the home of this grape. Unfortunately, I can’t find a Sancerre in that price range anywhere. So I decided to look to the second most famous Sauvignon Blanc home: New Zealand!
So without further fanfare, my recommendation to you is: Matua Sauvignon Blanc 2008, from Marlborough, New Zealand.
Why? It smells like pears, tastes a bit like apples, has a really nice, long finish, and will pair wonderfully with almost any fish or non-spicy vegetarian meal you throw at it. Try it, enjoy it, and then tell me how much you liked it.
If you want to share with me what you are drinking, or want to see what I think of what I’m drinking when not on MoreThanMary, you can find me on Cork’d.
Cheers!
Looking to explore other food-friendly white wines that are also good on their own? Something elegant? Something crisp? Something not too fruity? An obvious choice to add variety to your white wine drinking is the Sauvignon Blanc. But it shouldn’t And the historical home of this grape is France’s Loire Valley, notably Sancerre.
When it comes to the character of a wine, geography matters. Sauvignon Blanc is grown in many different parts of the world, and expresses itself differently depending on the climate and soil where it finds itself. In Sancerre, cool summer climates give the grape its crisp acidity (what makes it pair so well with food). And since there is a lot of chalk and limestone in the soil, the wine will take on this flavor rather than being all fruit. Its herbal character can sometimes be compared to a grassiness if it is strong. The result is, when it comes out right, a white wine that is gentle, with an herbal perfume smell to it, and a crispness that allows it to pair particularly beautifully with different kinds of fish dishes.
So if you are shopping for a Sancerre wine, what should you look for? A total of 14 villages and three hamlets have the right to produce Sancerre. The two most recognized areas in Sancerre are Chene Marchand in the village of Bue, and the Monts Damnes in Chavignol, which would be the likely locations for the more expensive bottles. Regardless of where it comes from, these wines typically aren’t meant to be aged, and should be enjoyed within a year or two of bottling. A Sancerre Savignon Blanc typically starts around $20 – not at all in the value wines category – and can easily be found in the $50 range as well.
So the next time you are in your local wine shop, make your way to the Loire, and try something truly exceptional.
– By Ron Marks, Resident Wino
Well, we made it to February. Did your New Years’ Resolutions make it this far? Made with such hope for the future, so many of them will have been abandoned by now. Why? Often because the resolutions don’t fit with our other desires and priorities, so when conflict arises, we go with the path of least resistance, the pre-January status quo.
For example, what if your resolution was to lose weight, but you also wanted to enjoy wine in the new year? In that case, any time you enjoyed a glass of wine you might feel you were going off your diet. After all, how could something so sinfully delicious be OK on a diet? And feeling like you’ve broken down can in one regard can lead you to abandon your diet all the way. After all, why shouldn’t I have a second dessert or grab a fast food lunch since I went off my diet last night with that delightful Dolcetto?
Actually, there is no reason why you can’t have your cake and eat it too, so to speak. First, it helps to know what wine does to your diet, how many calories it is likely to have. Then, it helps to think of it in the overall context of your diet and lifestyle.
Calories. How many are in a glass of wine? The main thing the answer depends on is the alcohol content of the wine and its sweetness. The higher the alcohol, and/or the more sweet it is, the higher the calories. For example, a light Riesling with around 10% alcohol could be as low as 80-90 calories. However, a glass of Port, a fortified wine with a much higher level of alcohol, could have around 150-180 calories. This is roughly the same amount as a can of beer. For the sake of estimating, assume that most wines will have around 100-150 calories. That’s not a lot, and even a glass a day shouldn’t throw anyone off a responsible diet.
Which brings us to think about the big picture. What role does wine play in your diet, and could there be benefits? There are several popular diet books (The French Don’t Diet Plan and French Women Don’t Get Fat, just to name two) that actually make the case based on trends in France that rather than worrying about the calories in wine, we should intentionally and without guilt allow it to be a regular part of our diet and lifestyle. The argument runs like this: Enjoying wine is something you should do at a leisurely pace, and if you do this with meals it will also help you eat at a leisurely pace. And doing this allows you to not only feel when you’ve truly had enough to eat, but make you feel truly satisfied as well, thus taking away the temptation to cheat later or between meals. Rather than worrying about the calories in wine, we should let it cause us to enjoy life more.
There is, in fact, anecdotal evidence to support this. France is actually catching up to us in weight while they are simultaneously starting to drink less wine as a country. Coincidence?
I say, let’s err on the side of pleasure, and our health will take care of itself.
(Photo via)
–By Ron Marks, Resident Wino
Most of what I have to say about wine drinking involves enjoying wine yourself: tasting it, buying it, learning about it, and making it an enriching part of your life. But what about the opposite situation? What if you need wine to impress in a certain situation?
The simplest answer to this concern is one that, if you can follow it, can and should override everything that is to follow it. If you can find a local wine shop where the owner or staff are super knowledgeable about wine and enjoy taking the time with customers, then build a relationship with them and you will never again need to turn to the internet to guide you. However, not very many of you will be fortunate enough to find a relationship like that, so for you, here’s my very idiosyncratic advice.
The good news is I believe there is one kind of wine that will win you accolades in any situation whatsoever. Think you need a different wine for a dinner party than for a romantic dinner for two? Heck no! You can wow your date, spouse, business associates, or friends with one little bottle.
Bring a bottle of Ice Wine. That’s right. To my knowledge, in the history of the world no one who’s been asked to bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party has come with a bottle of Ice Wine. It’s always some boring red or white wine. Way to blend in with the crowd. But with a bottle of Ice Wine, you will stand out for sure.
What is it? Only the most delicious wine ever invented! It’s made from frozen grapes, it’s really sweet, it’s a dessert wine, and everybody loves it. This is the one wine that you not only get the usual polite thank you before your wine is set aside, but will guarantee you are thought of as a person of exquisite taste, charm, and sophistication.
One last thing: Hooray Dessert Wine!
