*** Wines used today***

Early Morning/Brunch/Breakfast Valentines

Barone Fini -Pinot Grigio $11.99- Pairing Food/ Fruit eggs

-Dinner Valentines -

Villa Pozzi -Nero d’Avola- 9.99 Pairing Food/ pasta capers and olives dish.

-Valentines evening with the girls-

Girard- Artistry- $39.99   Pairing Food Cheeses/salumi plater

-Late Night seduction Valentines-–

Enza-  $14.99 Pairing Food Chocolate/deserts

Dan Amatuzzi

Dan’s Wine Tips

Financial
If you want to get into wine, decide how much you can spend per week…and then double it.  Although cheap wine is good on the wallet, some cheap wines can hinder the learning the experience of wine.

Buying
Start with grapes you’ve heard of and try different wines made from that grape throughout the world.  You’d be surprised that Syrah grown in California produces wines vastly different form Syrah grown in Australia.  Weeding out the regions that you don’t particularly enjoy is a good way to stick to what you like and then discover more wines from those regions.

Pairing
No need to argue about white or red with the fish course… anything goes these days…remember YOU’RE the boss.  Just follow this one rule:  Light foods with light wines, heavy foods with heavy wines.  They can be white or red, you just don’t want to squash the texture and flavor of delicate foods (crudo, shushi, salads) with overly-oaky whites and inky, robust reds…save these for the heartier fare (soups, stews, rich proteins)

Serving Temperature
Don’t have a wine fridge in your tiny apartment?  You’re not alone.  All you need to do is pop the reds in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, and the white for about 30 minutes, and you’ll reach the ideal serving temp for most reds and whites, respectively.  As the wines open up to room temperature, you’ll begin to smell different aromas and taste different aspects of the wine as it breathes and warms up.  If reds are served at high room temperatures, the alcohol can overpower the fruit and earthy aspects.  If the whites are served too cold, the fruit and aromas are masked.

Aging Wines
Keep ‘em on their sides and in a dark, cool place.  Sunlight, heat, and exposure to oxygen are the daggers to long-term wines.  You also want to keep wines away from washing machines, dishwashers, or any other machines that can cause constant vibrations – which will shorten the lifespan of a wine.  Keep in mind though that only 1 percent of all wine made each year is intended for aging longer than five years.

Visit Dan’s website:

www.wineforthestudent.com