The Quilt Inn Country Cookbook

Aliske Webb

. Is red wine more fattening than white?

I was prepared to put down my now almost empty glass, but Pierre hastened

to assure me that the calorie content of a wine depends on its alcohol and residual

sugar. A California Chardonnay, for example, at 12.5% alcohol will have more calories

than a Beaujolais at 11%.

“

Well, Pierre. Just a touch more. Not as fattening, you know,” I said with

anticipation, and no guilt.

3. Michael’s birthday arrives soon. How do you open Champagne do avoid the

“

pop” and a fountain?

Hold the cork firmly and twist the bottle away from the cork. The cork should not

move. “Here, I’ll show you,” Pierre said, having retrieved a bottle of Moet from the Inn’s

racks. Sure enough, when opened the way he suggested, no pop, nofoam, just a light

expression of air, like the sigh you make after tasting your first sip. Which we did.

. Are all pink wines sweet?

No. Many pink wines, such as rose, are dry, especially those from the Rhone

Valley, such as Tavel and Lirac.

5. The vintage date on a bottle tells you: (a) the birth year of the winemaker’s

first child; (b) the winemaker’s wedding anniversary, so he won’t forget; (c) the year the

grapes were picked and crushed; (d) the year the bottle was made; (e) the year the

wine was bottled.

The answer is (c), although (b) would not be a bad idea!

. How should you hold a wine glass?

Oh, oh. I could hear another demonstration coming from Pierre, and of course

the glasses needed to be refilled.

“It’s just educational, mon ami,” he said with a glow (it might have been the

champagne). “Hold a wine glass by the stem or base, not by the bowl. Otherwise, you

will warm a chilled white or cover up the bouquet of a red.”

. True or false? Fill your wine glasses as full as possible, not only to

demonstrate your generosity, but to give a better appreciation of the color of the wine.

False. A wine glass should be filled only to the b level, to allow you to swirl the

wine to produce a concentrated bouquet. (Also, if theglass is too full your nose will get

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Country Cooking