A drop of delight: wine history and myths (Part 2)
Welcome back! As promised last time, we return with more stories and (demystified) myths about wine, this nectar of the gods that has been part of our lives for thousands of lives and that can, when consumed without excess, compliment good food and the good company of the coming Christmas celebrations. A drop of delight: wine history and myths (Part 2) will bring you more information about this legendary beverage of the Western world, as well as a top of wines.
There are wine tops conducted every year, but one of the most popular one (started in 1988) is the one published by Wine Spectator. For 2014, based on factors like quality-price, value for money and appeal, the top 10 brands include Chardonnay, Chianti, Pinot Noir and the popular Port. Actually, this year’s winner is the Portuguese Dow Vintage Port variety. Portugal is also represented by the Prats & Symington Douro Chryseia (3rd position) and Quinta do Vale Meao Douro (4th place). The second greatest wine of 2014 is Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnivale of Love, while Italy is represented by Castello di Ama Chianti Classico San Lorenzo Gran Selezione, the occupant of the 6th position in this top.
Back to the topic of myths surrounding wines, there is the one about old wines: not only is it true that not all wines age well, but it is also essential to know that wines that are prepared to “be put to age” have longer, special corks that preserve the bouquet and keep the bottle perfectly sealed.
Also, dust does not make a good old wine. Centimetres of dust on the bottle and ruined labels do not certify the age of a wine. Instead, old wines should normally be presented impeccably: there are special coordinates attesting the place and date of production and bottling and the bottle should be clean and dust-free.
One true myth and our word of advice for the coming winter holidays is: be careful around sweet red wine! It does get you drunk really fast because it contains far more alcohol than a dry or old wine.
