100 Word Challenge: Wine

For the past few years, a friend and I have attended monthly wine pairing dinners hosted by a local chef/owner of a boutique kitchen shop. During the dinner, the host prepares a three-course meal and a different wine is paired with each course.

I have learned about “terrior” and “umani.” I’ve tasted wines from every region of the U.S., as well as Australia, New Zealand, France and Italy. I know that I don’t have to limit red wines to heavy dishes or white wines to light fare.

At each dinner, a sommelier discusses the vineyards that produce the wines, the regions where the grapes were grown, harvesting methods, and the fermenting process (whether in oak, stainless steel or a combination).

I now know how to swirl and sniff my wine, and what I’m looking for when doing that. I know what legs are, and all about viscosity. This wine has notes of berry and chocolate, pear, or melon, that one has a hint of cherries, and that one you can taste grapefruit on the backend.

My preference is dry wines rather than sweet, white over red, but I do love a hearty merlot.

I feel confident ordering a specific wine when I dine out.

Yet, above all that, the one skill I’ve learn that I value most is how to properly open a screw-top bottle of wine without having to wrestle it into submission.

[side note: More vintners are using screw tops, and the stigma of it being an indication of a lower quality wine is lessening. A screw top offers a better seal after opening a bottle, and removes the risk of cork taint. There are no more broken corks or bits falling into the bottle.]

I did successfully learn how to use a sommelier corkscrew – so much easier than a winged one – but learning the trick to an opening a screw top bottle was an epiphany. Seriously, it was life changing.

For those who don’t already know, the art to screw tops is to hold the cap and turn the bottle, not hold the bottle and turn the cap.

This technique works with other things too. Pickle jar won’t open, can’t get the lid off the jelly, struggling with the seal on a bottle of salsa? Now, it’s a snap. Impress your SO with your feats strength, make it your new party trick. You’ll have to buy a bottle of wine with a screw top just to try this.

Clearly, it doesn’t take much to impress or amuse me.

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.” ~ W. C. Fields

This week’s word is:

Wine

What to do:

Using “wine” for inspiration, write 100 Words – 100 exactly – no more, no less. You can either use the word – or any form of the word – as one of your 100, or it can be implied. Include a link in your post back here, and add your story to the Mister Linky list. If you don’t have a blog, you can leave your submission in the comment section, or as a Facebook status post. Remember to keep spreading the love with supportive comments for your fellow Wordsters.