It’s the season to drink wine like a pro

Wine is becoming a more popular drink in Kampala if the number of specialist wine bars are anything to go by. A few years ago, one would be hard pressed to find a bar that specilised in wine and even had variety, now most affluent suburbs boast of at least one establishment. However, loving wine and getting the right wine at the right price is rather tricky. So determine what your price maximum is and stick to it. Do not let the medium price of the wine list coax you into straying from your budget.

It is not a secret that wine prices in restaurants and bars have been astronomically bloated. So do not be surprised to find your favourite bottle of rosé that you normally buy at about Shs100,000 in the supermarket priced at Shs200,000 or Shs250,000 in a restaurant of bar.

Get the best
Did you know that restaurant wine prices have an inverse relationship? Sommeliers reveal that the cheaper the wine, the higher the price markup, and vice versa. Restaurants know that diners usually order for the glass or bottle that is just barely above the most inexpensive option on the list. So to make a profit, they bloat the second cheapest wine making it look less expensive than the most expensive ones. To beat them at their own game, go for the cheapest bottle on the list (not to be confused with the ‘house’ wine, which is typically only provided by the glass). The most inexpensive bottle is usually a lovely wine.

Bottle or glasses
Should you buy a bottle, or individual glasses? The typical by the glass wine volume poured at restaurants equates to a quarter of the bottle, and is generally marked up more than a single bottle. So if you know that at least three glasses of the same wine will be consumed, buy the bottle.

If however, you are interested in variety over the course of the meal, as well as the versatility to pair the wine perfectly with each dish, then go for the glass option. Furthermore, your dinner mates might have clashing wine preferences, so you may need to go the glass route to keep everyone happy.
Avoid house wine at all costs. While glasses of house wine are the cheapest available, the markup is massive. It is not uncommon for the restaurant to charge for a glass what they paid for the entire bottle, yet the quality of this wine is inferior and very little thought went into its quality or taste; the sole focus was profit-margin.

Pairing wine with your food
If you have very little knowledge or experience with pairing foods and wine, the most basic rule you should remember is that white meat pairs best with white wine, and red meat pairs best with red wine. Remember this and you will be unlikely to make a bad choice.
If you cook your dish with white wine, pair it with white wine. If you cook your dish with red wine, pair it with red wine. If you cook with wine, serve that wine to drink with that dish. Unless you used cooking wine; nobody wants to drink that. With lighter meats cooked in a flavorful sauce, focus on pairing the wine with the sauce, not the meat.

What your server need to know
Do not be embarrassed to ask for guidance, unless you are a wine expert and feel comfortable making selections on your own, it is absolutely in your best interest to utilize the server/sommelier. There is one caveat, though. You must provide the right information. Think of ordering wine in a restaurant like a trip to the doctor; you need to convey your symptoms in adequate detail to get the proper diagnosis.

Do you want your wine red or white?
New World (fruit-forward) or Old World (earthy)
Do you like it light-bodied, medium-bodied or full-bodied?
Then sweetness. You might think that the opposite of sweet is sour, but for wine, the other end of the spectrum is “dry.” Think of it like the difference between milk chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, and dark chocolate.

Tasting like a pro
First, you will be presented with the bottle to confirm that it is in fact the one you ordered. Do not forget to check the year here. Often servers pull wines from a year that is entirely different from what you ordered.
Give the glass a few swirls, a deep sniff and a taste. Typically, corked wine will give off unpleasant aromas of moldy newspaper, wet cardboard or dank basement. If something smells/tastes off, do not hesitate for one second to tell your server about it.

Once you have confirmed that the wine is sound, it is time to sit back and revel in the fruits of your labor. Be sure to enjoy the wine at your own pace. Some waiters will hyperactively refill your wine glass because they want to kick that first bottle swiftly in hopes that you will buy more. And on the flip side, if your waiter is slow to refill your glass then do not hesitate to reach for the bottle and do the deed yourself.

If you order a bottle of wine, your server or the sommelier will bring the bottle unopened to your table. This is your chance to check and make sure it’s the specific wine you ordered (that means, it’s the style, brand, and year you chose). Once you give the okay, the server will open the wine. You should check the cork to see if it’s moist, but do not smell it. You can’t tell anything by the smell.

However, do smell the wine when the server pours a small taste for you. This is your chance to check the wine itself. If it smells or tastes off, let your server know. “Corked” wine is wine that for some reason has gone wrong in the bottle. It happens, it’s not your fault, and it’s totally okay to tell your server the wine is bad. You can also ask your server to try it if you’re not sure. Sometimes wine needs a few minutes to “breathe” but if the wine is bad, the wine is bad.

Glassware and temperature
Not all wine is served at the same temperature and in the same kind of glass. It matters more when you are serving wine at home, but it also helps to know these two things when you are drinking at a restaurant. Temperature matters for the flavor of the wine and glass shape matters so that you get the right aroma (which is a big part of enjoying wine). wine glasses. in order to allow you to dip your nose into the glass to detect aroma.Source: www.wideopeneats.com.

Glassware
White wines are usually served cold, and can be paired with lighter foods such as poultry and fish. A white wine glass’s bowl will be more U-shaped and upright than that of a red wine glass, allowing the aromas to be released while also maintaining a cooler temperature.
Sparkling wine, or champagne, adds a hint of luxury, through a fizzy/bubbly texture. The “sparkles” in sparkling wine are bubbles of carbon dioxide, which is a natural byproduct of the fermentation process. A sparkling wine glass (or champagne flute) will be upright and narrower than most wine glasses to retain the carbonation and capture the flavor in the beverage.

Two types of wine glasses are widely accepted for use with rose wines – stemmed glasses with a short bowl and a slight taper, and those with a short bowl and a slightly flared lip. Since these wines are fairly similar in fermentation process as white wines, the use of a white wine glass is also considered acceptable for these types of wine if a rose wine glass is not available.