Date: Fri 27-Sep-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: CAROLK

Illustration: C

Location: A11

Quick Words:

Wine-Wisdom-vintage-1990-Small

Full Text:

(Wine Wisdom on vintages of 1990, 9/27/96)

Wine Wisdom-

Everything You Could Learn About A Wine's Vintage... In 15 Minutes

BY STEVE SMALL

A character named Father Guido Sarducci (played by comedian Don Novello) had a

routine where he taught you everything you would learn at college in 15

minutes. His lesson in economics succinctly described what most of us probably

remember - supply and demand. With apologies to Father Sarducci, here is

everything you need to know about wine.

1990 was a very good "vintage" for making wine. All you have to remember is

1990. If you are served a bottle from the 1990 vintage, you can remark on what

a good year it was. If the bottle is not from 1990, you should comment that

the wine is good but perhaps not quite as good as its 1990 vintage. If it is a

non-vintage wine, you could suggest to your host that 1990 is a good vintage

to look for when buying wine.

If your patient host has not thrown you out yet, you may actually have to open

the wine and pretend to know what you are doing. The first thing you may

notice about the wine is how it smells. You should never say the wine smells

good. It is better to say the wine has a nice "bouquet." However (and please

pay attention class), to really sound like Mr or Mrs Knowledgeable Wine

Person, say the wine has a great nose. Even though this just means the wine

smells good, it sounds much more impressive.

At last you are ready to actually drink the wine. Please don't just drink it.

After all, this is wine we are talking about. As you sip the wine you have to

savor it. Swishing it around in our mouth and making a quiet yet noticeable

gargling sound will quickly identify you as knowledgeable about wine.

Remember, you are not only drinking the wine but evaluating it as well.

Please do not expose your lack of sophistication by saying the wine tastes

good. Use key words like "full-bodied," "oaky," "nice fruit" or "buttery," so

people will recognize you as a wine person who is in the know.

Remember: 1990, nose and a few key adjectives will surely make you stand out

as Mr or Mrs Wine Guy. Some people may quibble about details like grape

varieties, countries of origin, soil, climate and even sugar levels. Some have

even gone so far as to write entire books about this stuff! But now you know:

all you really need to know is right here on this page.

(Steve Small is the proprietor of Steve's Liquor Store, in Ricky's Shopping

Center, at 71 South Main Street/Route 25 in Newtown.)