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| (Photo: Dan Engongoro) |
By Nick Gialias
How does one decide what to drink?
Sounds easy enough. But the process can range from simply buying the
cheapest booze possible to spending weeks of pensive contemplation
picking the perfect bottle.
Gone are the days of loyal consumer brands. Today’s drinker is more
adventurous and looking to experience all the possibilities because
there is incredible access to products from around the world that could
never have been imagined 20 years ago. The Internet has afforded us
access to information, and therefore learning and sharing of
experiences.
The challenge nowadays is deciding what to purchase in the vastness
of shelves and product displays. Who knows what all these bottles are?
What if I waste money on the wrong thing?
First off, drinking should be fun. There’s alcohol in it for a
reason, so relax.
Here is a short course in making better choices when
picking out alcoholic beverages:
It’s about context — the WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY and HOW(s) of drinking.
WHO: Is it an intimate gathering with in-laws or a reunion of frat brothers?
WHAT: Are we eating a fancy meal or bar hopping?
WHERE: A private room at the cigar club or a back yard BBQ?
WHEN: Morning, noon or night?
WHY: Are we having a discussion about the dis/advantages of French
vs. American oak or looking to catch a morning buzz over eggs benedict?
HOW: Are we using large crystal snifters or red solo cups?
Asking these questions and others helps make better beverage
decisions by putting context in the proper perspective. While Chimay
Blue might be a beer worth storing in the cellar to truly appreciate, a
PBR makes more sense while floating on an inner tube down the Delaware
River.
The second part of context is understanding the product via culture,
geography, agriculture, and the cuisine of its representative region.
Knowing a little bit about a place and its people can help one better
understand what to expect. For example, in the U.S. we like “BIG”, so
expect big beverages with strong flavors and high alcohol. We also like
“clean” which translates to fruitiness in wines (sometimes with sugar,
too), hoppy bitterness in beer, and the sweet flavors of vanilla and
caramel in whiskey.
The same could be said for bottles coming out of the “New World” like
South America, Australia and New Zealand. On the other hand, “Old
World” (i.e. Europe) beverages (particularly wine and whiskey) often
have a characteristic funkiness or earthiness to them. Although this
style takes getting used to, there is much to appreciate when you
discover its nuanced nature. Of course, these are generalizations since
New World producers nowadays are creating Old World-style products and
vice versa. However, this rule of thumb generally holds.
A basic guideline used in food and wine pairing helps put this into
practice — “What grows together, goes together”. Take the Easter meal,
for example. People will be getting together for brunch or early dinner
with family and friends. This is a good time to try something different,
see how it complements your meal, and learn what your family and friends like. Spend a bit of
time thinking about the origin of the meal you’ll be enjoying and about
the types of things your company appreciates. For example, if your
company enjoys stinky cheeses, they may enjoy an old world wine from
France or Italy. If they prefer mild cheeses, try something from the new
world, like the California or Australia.
Pairing beverages with your meal is a lot of fun, and when a good
match is found, it’s immensely satisfying. It’s worth picking up this
month’s edition of
Food & Wine magazine as an excellent
reference for pairings. Enjoy the process of exploring and don’t be
afraid to make a “questionable” choice; that’s all part of the
experience. Even Aldo Sohm, Chef Sommelier of Le Bernardin, New York’s
internationally acclaimed four-star seafood restaurant, will try six or
more wines with a new dish to find the perfect pairing; and he’s an
expert.
So give it a try. After a few drinks, simply catch a buzz and enjoy it.
